The King's Legacy
by TimesNew
Summary: A new arrival in Camp Jupiter heralds a new age. But who will lead it? Part 2 of the Roman PJO series. Art by StaticColour.
1. Chapter 1

My nightmare started like this.

First off, I was awake and fully aware. That's the worst part. At least when you dream, you can tell yourself that it's not your fault if everything goes wrong. I never liked responsibility. Naturally, I'd tried everything I could to avoid getting the tunnel guard duty today, but things being the way they were, it was difficult to switch chores with someone. At least I wasn't alone in my misery. Octavian was with me.

He was a year older than me and a lot taller. He didn't have what I would call an athletic build, but still had lean muscles forged from years of legionary training that made him look like a baseball player, or maybe someone who does track and field. He had blond hair, blue eyes, and a silver tongue.

Also, he had a bronze breastplate, a sword on his hip, and he was holding a spear. I would have thought that was strange if I didn't have a sword in hand too.

We were both descended from the Roman gods. Turns out they're still alive and well, and so was Rome. Now we live in a secret valley in the middle of San Francisco. It's a lot to take in, I know. I still find it hard to believe, despite being trained by a pack of wolves and making my journey here to Camp Jupiter. It was a little weird to think that I was now the person on the other side of the tunnel – literally, since the entrance to camp was through the Caldecott tunnel.

But right now, I was focused on the person in front of me. It was a girl with long black hair as dark as mine and tanned skin. I guessed she was around thirteen and managed to look stern while wearing a tank top and ratty jeans. And she's clearly a demigod. No mortal would've been able to even get close to this place unless they could somehow see through the Mist, and that was impossible. Only very determined pizza delivery guys got this far.

She wasn't a legacy either. Only a demigod could look that arrogant. Despite being my age, she had an expression that I never could've managed. She looked older. She even sounded older when she spoke.

"My name is Reyna," she said. "I'm looking for Camp Jupiter."

"I think you got the wrong address dude," I said. "Pretty sure Rome is a few thousand miles down the street."

She didn't even smile at my joke. I disliked her already.

Turning to Octavian, she continued speaking. "Lupa sent me?"

"Yes, we know," Octavian said with a smile. "It's always good to have more people in Camp Jupiter, which is why we're so welcoming. Right, Percy?" I pretended not to see the pointed look he gave me.

"Come on. Let's get you inside." Then something roared. It came from beyond the hills, and it definitely wasn't human. No person could have made that noise.

"Damn it, they caught up," Reyna mumbled, moving between us. Now that we were closer I could see dirt and golden dust on her arms. Telltale signs of someone who'd killed monsters.

"Who's coming?" Octavian asked, raising his shield and lowering his spear. I readied my own gladius.

"Those guys," she said dryly.

I saw something crest a hill further away. It was humanoid, but it took a second for my brain to comprehend that because of its sheer size. The thing was easily over eight feet tall, with wild eyes and pointed yellow teeth. At a distance and through the Mist, I might have mistaken them for one those kids in school who must have hit puberty early or something. It was wearing torn gym clothes with the sleeves ripped off, exposing long, tattooed arms. They were armed with iron clubs the size of a motorcycle. Then three more appeared behind it.

The lead monster pointed at us, and all four of them charged.

I only had a few seconds to think. I didn't recognize these guys or what they could do. I've never fought a giant before, but I have fought people who were bigger, stronger, and slower than me. I assumed it would be the same. The most important thing would be to stay out of their reach. I tossed my gladius into the air. Now, that might look stupid, but I had a few tricks up my sleeve too. I caught it as it fell and was now holding a spear.

"Percy," Octavian warned.

"I know," I said. I was ready for a fight, but the priority was to protect this girl.

"You need to get inside. We'll hold them off," I said.

"No."

"When you reach – huh?"

"We can take them," she said, reaching into a pocket.

"Look, we may be cool, but I don't think even my friend and I can take four of those guys," I snapped. What was she thinking?

Then she pulled out something, and my eyes widened. She tossed a golden coin into the air and caught a gladius.

"Great," Octavian mumbled. "Now there are two of you."

"What – how – "

"I can fight," she stated. I didn't have any more time to argue. The giants reached us.

The lead giant took a second to roar while his buddies advanced, revealing a gaping maw with bits of meat between his teeth. A spear sailed through the air and hit him straight down his open mouth. He exploded into dust. I turned to see Octavian, already pulling out his own gladius.

The other three didn't even slow.

"Octavian!" I yelled.

"Right!"

I ran to the right. I couldn't see Octavian, but I knew he cut to the left. If we didn't split up those things would just run us down like a chariot. Fortunately, they weren't smart enough to work together. One of them broke off after me, and another chased Octavian. That was the good news.

The bad news is that I was alone versus a giant. Despite redirecting his charge, the monster barely lost any momentum. I only had time to yelp and roll to the side just before he reached me. I never fought a giant before, but I knew how to dodge a bull rush.

I got to my feet and tried to take a stab at the monster. But I was horribly wrong in my assumptions. He might be big and strong, but he definitely wasn't slow.

The moment I stood, he was already on the offensive. I jumped backwards, barely avoiding a wide sweep of his club, and ducked under another attack. The hair on the back of my neck stood straight up as I could feel the weight behind that swing. If I got hit even once, I wasn't getting back up. Maybe ever.

I kept on the defensive, dodging and sidestepping his attacks, trying to get a feel for the way he fought. The attacks were random and clumsy, easily exploited – if he were a regular person. He more than compensated for it with strength and speed. I wasn't going to tire him out. In fact, I could already feel my limbs getting a little heavy. I was grateful for being unarmored.

He was starting to overwhelm me. I had to fight back.

After a big overhead swing with his club that I sidestepped, I moved under his arm and thrusted with my spear. The point sank into the thing's ribs, just below the armpit. It wailed in pain but didn't explode to dust. I heard a grinding sound behind and instantly dove to the right. He'd dragged his club backwards and would have sent me flying if I were a second later.

Another opening. I moved to attack and stabbed at him from the other side. It should have been a solid hit, but all I managed to do was make a shallow wound. It just made him angrier.

"Stupid toothpick!" he yelled, the voice surprisingly whiny. The giant swung again, and I dodged out of the way.

I couldn't do this for much longer. As dumb as he is, he's starting to predict my movements. That last blow came a lot closer than I thought it would. I backed up again and felt my back brush onto something.

I whipped my head around to see Octavian and the girl behind me, both breathing heavily. Octavian's shield had broken off. The girl's hair was plastered to her back with sweat. I looked around and saw that the other two giants were still standing. Octavian's giant was limping slightly, while the one that fought Reyna was bleeding ichor profusely from one arm. It dangled uselessly on his side, but he still had his club.

They had surrounded us. Reyna's giant growled and took a step forward, but the other two stuck out a hand, warning him to step back. He retreated begrudgingly. They exchanged glances with shifty eyes, uncannily like what we were doing.

"I don't like this," Octavian muttered.

"Yeah," I replied. My opponent was a good distance away, but I was still within his reach. It didn't attack, though. It was waiting for us to make the first move. That felt… wrong.

"Right," Reyna said. "We need to work together. We rush the one that I was fighting."

That made sense, I admitted. He was the most injured.

"What're we going to do with the other two?" Octavian demanded. She turned to him.

"You distract your guy. Me and the idiot can take down a giant if it's two on one."

"Excuse me?" I said, indignant. Octavian just nodded in agreement.

"That's a good plan," he said, eyeing me. I sighed and nodded begrudgingly.

"Honestly, though, I don't think I can close the distance that fast," Octavian muttered. Of the three of us, he looked the worst for wear. Fighting with a breastplate and scutum would do that to you. I didn't feel much better.

"I'm not feeling too great either," I agreed. "You got another idea?"

"I have something for that," Reyna said. She raised her gladius and all three giants tensed. I shifted my attention at my opponent but could still see Reyna in the corner of my eye. It looked like she was touching a ring.

Suddenly, I felt a burst of strength, like I hadn't just spent my last few moments fighting a giant. No – I felt even better than I did before. Where the hell did that come from?

"Now!" she shouted. I snapped out of it and sprinted after her as she charged her giant. I even moved faster, my feet gliding on the ground with vigor that I shouldn't have.

I reached the giant first and immediately dove forward, trying to get between his legs. Just as I thought, he tried to do a wide strike that swept above me. He was forced to face the incoming threat of Reyna, giving me the second I needed to impale my spear deep in the back of his leg. The monster fell to his knees but didn't have time to respond to the pain. He exploded in a cloud of dust, and Reyna landed in front of me. She must have jumped up and stabbed him through the neck.

"Look out!" I shouted, grabbing her and tumbling backwards. An iron club split the earth where she had been. My giant roared inches away from my face. I could feel its hot breath and spittle on my face.

He kept up his onslaught as Reyna scrambled back. I rolled to the side and got on my feet in one motion, ready to dodge out of his next attack. It didn't come. The monster was dead-set on the demigod who'd killed his buddy and ignored me completely. I guess they weren't that smart.

I took off running for him, leaping off the ground and grabbing onto the monster's oversized gym clothes with one hand. I saw a meaty hand reaching out to crush me, but then the giant doubled over in pain. That must've been Reyna.

It just made it easier for me to jump on his back and sink my spear into the back of his head. He went poof too.

"Good job," Reyna said between breaths.

"You too," I replied.

"Incoming!" A shrill cry rang out. Octavian was racing towards us, his weapon gone, his giant hot on his heels.

"Get ready," I told Reyna, raising my spear for a javelin toss. I waited until Octavian was fifteen feet away. Ten.

"Down!" I yelled. Octavian dove to the side. The giant scrambled to keep up with him and I hurled my spear. It fell short of his chest and landed on his stomach. It made him stagger, but the fact that he didn't disintegrate immediately was very bad news. I cursed. Octavian and I had no weapons left. We needed to get help –

Reyna darted past me. She charged the giant before I could say anything, jumped off my spear, and drove her sword right into the monster's eye. She landed amid a cloud of dust.

Reyna turned to face us, breathing hard. "That was crazy," she said with a smile.

There was a pause.

"You," I grinned, "just got yourself a sponsor."

* * *

**_Author's note: Welcome to part 2 of the Roman PJO series! The first story, the Son of Rome, is already up. Like the original PJO books, you don't need to read the previous story to understand this one, though I highly recommend it as this contains spoilers. _**

**_Please review! I hope you enjoy!_**


	2. Chapter 2

"You people are crazy," Octavian groaned. I reached out a hand and pulled him to his feet. His breath was haggard but was unhurt.

"Taking on four giants at the same time is a little reckless," I agreed, "but you gotta admit, that was pretty cool."

He smiled despite himself. "Alright. We were pretty badass." I laughed, turning to the new girl. She was brushing off the monster dust that stuck to her clothes. Her weapon had disappeared, presumably back into a coin in her pocket.

"Where did you get that thing?" I asked.

"I can ask you the same thing," she replied, a little defensively, I thought.

"Same as you, I guess," I shrugged. "Lupa gave it to me. Said that I deserved it."

"She said the same to me," the girl admitted. Now that the fight was over she resumed her cool demeanor. It was weird talking to someone with such a blank expression, like she was purposely suppressing her body language. That made me a little uneasy.

Octavian stepped away while we were chatting to collect his spear and gladius before heading towards the tunnel.

"Come on, you two," he called out. "There might be more of those things. Let's get inside."

"What were they, anyway?" I asked.

"Laistrygonian giants," Reyna cut in before Octavian could reply. "Cannibals from the far north."

"You seem to know a lot," Octavian commented. "Where are you from?"

It was subtle, but she hesitated before answering. "Puerto Rico," she replied, as if that explained why she knew so much about monsters. Octavian must've thought the same. He glanced at me with raised eyebrows and said nothing. I changed the subject.

"They weren't so bad," I said. "Big and dumb. Just needed to stay calm."

"That's cause they're not that threatening in close range," Octavian said.

We'd entered the Caldecott tunnel and the only light came from the small orange bulbs arranged in a line on the ceiling like you would see on a normal tunnel. The glow made Octavian look a little ominous.

"They're fireproof, have near-perfect aim, and can throw rocks faster and farther than a cannon. They were the ones who sunk Odysseus's ships when he sailed out from Troy," Octavian explained.

"How do you know all that?" I demanded. "Are you holding out on me?"

"Are you serious? We just learned about them this morning! Didn't you come to class?" Octavian asked, exasperated.

"Of course I came to class," I scoffed.

"Slept through it, more like."

"What's the difference?"

"You're right," the girl said. What was her name again? I'd forgotten after all the fighting. Rachel? Reyna? Reindeer? I decided to keep my mouth shut in case I accidentally called her Reindeer.

"They tried to close in on me at first but started throwing cannonballs the closer I got to camp. It got pretty close. The fifth one almost got me."

"There's a fifth one?" I asked. I'd counted four. Surely my math's not that bad.

"There was, until I killed it," she said nonchalantly.

Now it was me who gave Octavian a surprised look. She killed one of those things alone? Who is this girl?

"I got lucky," she said quickly, no doubt sensing our curiosity. "I surprised them once, but then they went berserk and chased me all the way here."

"Right," I said, unconvinced. The thought would have kept nagging at me if I didn't see a light at the end of the tunnel getting bigger and bigger.

"Well, in any case," I said, "you don't have to be alone ever again. Welcome to Camp Jupiter."

We came out of the other side of the Caldecott tunnel into a wide valley. It stretched out for miles to either side and went far beyond and out of sight. Smack in the middle of it was New Rome, and right before us was Camp Jupiter.

It was hard to make out the details from this distance, but I could see the curves of the arches, the white brilliance of the marble, the towering pillars that were so popular in Roman architecture. I'd always thought they looked dumb in pictures. Now that I had got as close as I could get to the real thing, I couldn't think of anything more beautiful. Well, I guess it was overshadowed by one thing.

A wide river snaked through the valley, bending a few hundred feet away from the outer walls of the camp. Its mouth came from somewhere deeper inside, and it ran all the way to the edges of the valley before ending in a large lake in the city. Whether it was running fast or still and serene, I'd always considered the Little Tiber to be the most beautiful treasure in the valley.

I knew that there was more to it than that, though. Water always held secrets. I hadn't noticed it in my first year here, but as I used my powers more often I could feel underwater springs below the city. Which makes sense, I guess. There was an aqueduct opposite the lake on the other side of the New Rome, and that must've come from somewhere.

It was my home in a way that New York could never be. I felt safe here.

I turned to the girl to see how excited she was. Strangely I didn't see any of the wonder I feel every time I had this view. If anything, she looked even more stone-faced. But her eyes betrayed the feelings she tried to bury. There was a sadness there that I hadn't seen in anyone, let anyone someone the same age as me. Were those tears?

"It's beautiful," she said flatly. Yet the words rang with emotion.

"It's better when you're inside, and safe. Come on. I don't want our praetor to think that we took you sightseeing before bringing you to him."

She visibly stiffened. "You're 'bringing' me to someone?"

"To record your arrival and make it official. Administration, really, like when you move into a new school," Octavian replied. Either he didn't see her response or hid his own reaction well.

"What's a praetor?" she demanded.

"It's a title," I said. "Or a position, I guess. The praetor is the leader and general of the city and Camp Jupiter. He's in charge of everything that's going on, so he's strict, but fair. Don't worry. He won't bite."

"I see," she said. The girl remained silent for the rest of our walk through camp.

The legion was busy. People were bustling everywhere, always carrying weapons, armor, or tools of some kind. There were still smiles and laughter, but it was much more subdued compared to the atmosphere I was welcomed to when I first got here. There were many more grim expressions.

We made our way through camp and headed for a building that looked like the Lincoln Memorial from the outside. Pillars, arches, a peaked roof, marble, the whole Roman shebang, except this had huge wooden double doors in the front. It was the most important place in Camp Jupiter, after all.

Octavian and I pushed through the doors and headed inside. I remember thinking that the place reminded me of a bank, but now it reminded me of a temple. There was a crowd of older legionaries in togas, whispering among themselves. The senators, most likely. Nobody else would willingly wear a toga in public.

We brushed past them and ignored the stares they gave us. The girl attracted a few while we were outside, but that's normal. Fresh faces were always a big deal. I tried to convince myself that they were all staring at her, and not Octavian and me.

Thick walls loomed before us, with a single door in the center. That wasn't there before. There had been a greater need for privacy since last year's events. I came up to the door and hesitated for a second. My relationship with the praetor had always been tense, at least for me. He made it clear that he didn't blame me for what had happened to him, but I still did. Nevertheless, I didn't want to make it harder on the new girl.

I knocked at the door.

"Come in," a voice called from the other side. I opened it, holding it for the others, and made sure it was shut before joining them in the center of the room.

While the outside functioned as a waiting room, this was an office. A mosaic of Romulus and Remus with their mother Lupa decorated the ceiling. The walls were draped in velvet that complemented the architecture. A stairwell was tucked into the corner while in the center of the room was a long wooden table covered in all sorts of official-looking documents along with a heavy stamp. To either side of the table there were a pair of dog statues, one silver and one gold.

Behind the table was a guy who looked old enough to be in college, seated between two large chairs that looked more like thrones. He had curly black hair, dark skin that was made even darker with a tan and piercing black eyes, dressed in a shirt. He looked up as we stood before him. There were no chairs for guests.

It almost looked like he was crouching between the two big seats, but now that we were closer, it was plain to see that he was on a wheelchair with a purple blanket on his legs. His cloak, I realized with a start.

"Who is this?" he asked. He spoke with so much authority, you _wanted_ to obey him.

"A new recruit," I said stiffly. "We found her just a few minutes ago with monsters on her tail. We took care of them and went here straightaway."

"I see," he replied, turning to stare down the new girl. To her credit, she didn't break eye contact, but didn't stick out her chin or anything. She looked at him like an equal.

He grunted after a second. "New blood is always welcomed. My name is Julius, but just call me Jules. I'm the praetor of Rome and the Twelfth Legion, and you'll be answering to me."

"My name is Reyna," the girl replied. Right, that was it. Not too far from Reindeer, I guess.

"Welcome, Reyna. I'd apologize for being so blunt, but I'm a busy man, so let's make this fast." He reached under the table, opened a drawer, and pulled out a few forms, then grabbed a pen.

"Name, age, and date of birth?" he asked.

"Reyna, thirteen, August third," she said.

"Full name?" Jules prompted.

She hesitated for a second. "Do I have to?"

"Failure to provide your full name forces me to flag you as an amnesiac, so if you're not, then yes."

"Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano," she said. I bit back a laugh.

"I'd _want_ to be an amnesiac if I had a name like that," I mumbled. Octavian tried disguising his laughter as a cough. Reyna glared at me. Jules looked too tired to even smile.

"Are you a demigod or are you related to one?" Jules continued.

"Demigod."

"Mom or dad?"

"Mom. Bellona."

I couldn't take it anymore. I burst out laughing.

"Your mom's the goddess of baloney?" I asked incredulously. Reyna gave me another of her glares. She was really good at that and I'd be a little scared if I could just stop laughing.

"Bellona is the goddess of war, destruction, devastation, and the twin sister of Mars," Jules said as he jotted down the information. "Maybe if you actually studied in school, you'd know that."

She snorted, and I shut up.

"Anyway. Do you have letters of recommendation, or maybe a sponsor?" Jules asked.

"I'll be her sponsor," I said, stepping forward. "She was incredible out there. Fought better than some of the legionaries here."

"Oh gods," she groaned. "Can I reject a sponsorship?"

"Hey!"

"It's never happened before. I guess you can, but I don't have the time to show you around the camp. I suggest you accept," Jules said evenly. Reyna pursed her lips but nodded in consent.

"Alright. Welcome to the Twelfth Legion Fulminata, Reyna." Jules pulled open another drawer and took out a necklace with a small lead tablet.

"Put that on. You're now officially in probatio, until you serve for a full year or earn an act of valor, whichever comes first," he said.

"Probatio?" Reyna asked, trying on the necklace.

"It means you're one rank under full members of the legion," I said.

"How do I know who they are?"

I stuck out my arm with the palm facing up to show the tattoos on my forearm: a trident, the letters SPQR, and two stripes underneath it all. I hated showing people those markings, but I doubt that Reyna would care much.

"When you get formerly inducted to the legion you'll get these tattoos," I explained.

"They look more like brands."

"I guess that's more accurate, yeah."

"We all have them," Octavian said, showing his own markings. Jules did the same. Octavian had a lyre, a sort of small harp, with two stripes. Jules had two crossed spears and seven or eight stripes.

"The symbol shows your parentage," Reyna guessed, "and the stripes are your years of service?"

"That's right," I said, surprised. She was really good at picking things up like that. I'll have to remember that.

"I'm the son of Mars," Jules said. "Octavian is a legacy of Apollo, while Percy is the son of Neptune."

She nodded slowly, taking in all the details on our arms. I don't want to sound arrogant, but there was usually more of a reaction when someone found out that I'm the son of one of the elder gods, or the Big Three as we called it. The way Reyna reacted, Jules might as well have said that I was the son of some minor river god.

"That's all. Everything else you can learn from your sponsor," Jules continued, already turning to his work. "Normally you'd meet the entire cohort and choose who you want to bunk with, but I don't have the time or patience. Percy, Octavian, make sure she settles in."

Her eyes widened. "I have to move in with him?"

"We are now roommates," I grinned.

"Don't worry, there are two other girls," Octavian assured her as she stared daggers at me. "And we're not all like him."

"I hope so," she mumbled.

Together, we made our way outside the office. The exchange we had with Jules went fairly well, I guess, but I still couldn't bring myself to look him in the eye, even when I was speaking to him. Too much had happened last year to make every interaction uncomfortable.

As we stepped outside, all the senators had vanished. In their place were several older legionaries, looking a little worn down, like they'd just gone hiking or something. They were dressed for travel, and all of them had some sort of weapon. Not a single person spared us a glance. We moved past them as fast as we could.

"Who were those guys?" Reyna asked as soon as the double doors closed.

"Older legionaries," Octavian said. "Probably just back from a mission outside the camp."

"Doing what?"

"Oh, that's a loaded question," I sighed. I debated if I should keep talking before I continued. She'd find out sooner or later, and I'd rather she hears it from me.

"Do you know who Saturn is?" At the mere mention of his name, a few people turned to stare at me.

"Yes. King of the Titans, Lord of Time, if I'm not mistaken," she said with a shrug.

I frowned. Not exactly public knowledge, but I guess you can do amazing things with the internet, so I didn't press her any further.

"Yeah. Well, he's making a comeback, slowly rising from Tartarus and raising an army to destroy the gods. We only found out about his return last year, but Jules has been sending demigods out to scout his forces, see what we're up against and prepare for it. The whole legion's pretty tense lately," I explained.

"Apparently," she said, looking around. I guess it was pretty clear to see in the faces of the passing legionaries. Even the buildings looked a little darker.

"You're taking all this really well," Octavian commented.

"It hasn't affected me so far," she shrugged. I guess that made sense. The only reason the legion was this tense was because of the mess in the Colosseum, after all.

We cut across the length of Camp Jupiter before arriving at our destination. It was a dumpy little building, squat and painted white like all the others surrounding it, yet it managed to look smaller. The single decoration, a small golden eagle with its wings unfurled, stuck just above the entrance, somehow made it worse, emphasizing the sorry state it was in rather than improving it. Faint smells from the kitchen and strong smells from a garbage dump clung to the air. But it was home. I loved it all the same.

"This is the place?" Reyna asked.

"Home sweet home," I said with a smile. "Welcome to the Fifth Cohort. Come on! Let's meet the others."

The inside wasn't any better. There were all kinds of litter strewn on the floor that had been pushed to the sides to make a path. Dim lighting illuminated a long corridor with five branches to either side. We turned to the first one on the right and came face to face with a plain wooden door that I pushed open.

The space inside was just barely bigger than a motel room. Three bunk beds lined the walls on the right, two on the left. A large wardrobe took up most of the wall on the opposite side, with a tall shelf beside it. A table with six chairs made up the rest of the furniture. Two of them were occupied.

"Octavian, did you remember to – who's that?" one of them said. It was a girl skinnier than Octavian but with just as much stringy muscle, with quick brown eyes over a dusting of freckles. Her straight black hair came to her shoulders and framed her ears. She looked like an elf, complete with an easy smile and a glimmer of mischief in her eyes.

"Are you a new recruit?" the other one said. He was a guy who looked like Octavian's cooler, buffer older brother, despite being a year younger than him. He shared his blond hair and blue eyes, but his strong jaw and athletic build couldn't be more different.

"Yes," Reyna said, sticking out her hand. "My name is Reyna."

"Felix," the blond guy said, standing up to shake her hand. The other girl studied her, her eyes going over Reyna from head to toe. She got to her feet and shook her hand with a smile.

"I'm Alex, and what did you do to land in the Fifth Cohort – with us, of all people?" she asked.

"I sponsored her," I chirped up. Alex and Felix groaned.

"What? You didn't see her fight out there. She was amazing!" I huffed.

"Did she kill the Minotaur?" Felix asked.

"Who killed the Minotaur?" Reyna interrupted.

"I did," I said. "Dude showed up just before I got to camp. But if it weren't for Octavian and another guard – "

"_You? _There's no way," she scoffed. I just shrugged. That was the standard response.

"Nobody really believes him," Octavian agreed. "I was there, and I still can't believe that this loser was the one who killed him."

"Unfortunately, there is some proof," Alex sighed dramatically, pointing to the shelf. There on the top rack was a small trophy stand. It was a block of wood with a plaque in front. A long, slightly curved horn was held aloft by an almost invisible length of wire that looked way too flimsy to be supporting something that big. Draped on top of the horn's tip was a crown of rich brown laurels with a gold finish.

"The horn of the Minotaur," Reyna muttered.

"Percy really did kill it," Felix beamed like a proud dad.

"What's that on top of it?" Reyna asked. Immediately the mood in the room shifted into an uncomfortable silence. I could almost feel the tension as I glanced at each of my friends in turn.

"A laurel wreath," I spoke up. "Nothing special. Anyway, where's Vanessa?"

My attempt at changing the subject was clumsy, but Octavian jumped at the opportunity.

"She's probably out in the workshop, helping shore up the defenses. There's been talk of building scorpions on the perimeter of camp," he said.

I knew that Vanessa was practically living in the forges lately, but this was the first I'd heard of what they were doing. Scorpions around the camp? What was going on? I'd have to bring that up later. Wouldn't want to freak out the new girl.

"Well, someone's going to have to go get her," I said. "We're going to need another bed."

"I'll go," Octavian volunteered.

"I'll come with you," Alex said. "Trust me. She is not going to be happy about the distraction. I'm the only one who can calm her down."

"Thanks, guys," I said.

"Thank you," Reyna said a second later. She enunciated the words slowly, as if speaking in an unfamiliar language.

"Alright. Let's continue the orientation. You got anything you want to leave? We're probably going to be out until dinner."

Reyna looked at herself, then back at me, arching an eyebrow. Right. She had nothing. That was something I could understand, at least.

"I didn't exactly pack a suitcase," Reyna said.

"That's fine. I didn't either when I first got here. And look at me now!" I said. For the hundredth time, Reyna stared at the ceiling, no doubt wondering what she'd done to deserve this. That me smile wider.

"Come on. Let's get going."

Together we left for New Rome. Octavian and Alex came with us for a little while before breaking off to find Vanessa, leaving Reyna and I to walk the streets ourselves. We made for a strange pair, even in Camp Jupiter. I could already feel the stares digging on my back. That guy who says he's the son of Neptune? The one who screwed up the camp so much within a week of arriving in camp? And now he's got some other weirdo with him. I almost regretted my decision of sponsoring Reyna. It gave her even more unwanted attention.

We were halfway through the via praetoria before I started talking. I did it to calm down more than anything. The first few months of legionary training wore me down to the bone, but after a year, I'd grown stronger – and so did my hyperactivity. I had even more energy to burn now. More often than not, a quiet walk would just drive me nuts.

"So, did you come here straight from Puerto Rico?" I asked.

"No," Reyna replied. After a pause long enough for a whole other conversation, she continued: "I lived near Florida for a while. Then I went to the Wolf House, and Lupa accepted me."

"Damn," I said. "Sometimes I wonder why she even took me in, especially when there are people like you who join the legion. I can't imagine going from Florida to 'Frisco alone."

"I wasn't alone," she said, before muttering something in Spanish and biting her lip. I turned to her curiously. She looked as though she'd just said a dirty word in front of a nun.

"Oh. Who did you go with?"

"Nobody important."

"So, family?"

I'd never quite seen an expression that was equally surprised and angry. Her eyebrows struggled to decide whether they wanted to go up in shock or together in a frown.

"Who else would go across the country just to accompany you?" I shrugged.

"It's not that simple," Reyna growled. She'd settled on anger, evidently.

The way she talked, carried herself, and even chose her words reminded me a lot of Alex. Reyna was a lot scarier and less of a goofball, sure, but I couldn't help getting taken back to that night in the Circus Maximus. I decided to treat her like a more short-tempered Alex.

"I'm not sure what I'm getting into," I started slowly. "But in my experience, it's usually better to talk about things rather than keep it in. It's okay to talk about it."

"I'd rather not tell my whole life story to a boy I just met."

"That's fine too," I said. I remembered being taken to guidance counsellors in school who told me pretty much what I was telling Reyna. Nobody would just lay everything out like that. I wondered what I'd have to do to get her to talk. Then I wondered why it bothered me so much. Sure, I was her sponsor, but even Octavian gave me some time to open up. After a while I'd told him pretty much everything about my life and him about his, including the stuff we'd never tell anyone else. I thought I'd weird him out, but in the end, we just turned into better friends.

And then it hit me: Reyna reminded me of myself, too. We couldn't be more different – I was never that sullen and quiet. But I know a loner when I see one. Walking with a slightly hunched back, carefully sidestepping the crowd, glancing at other people, looking for a potential friend, and then looking away right before eye contact. Yeah. I know how that feels.

But now that I think about it, this is exactly what happened to me last year. Now I was on the other side of the tour. It felt nice. For once, I could help someone else.

"Here we are," I declared. "Welcome to New Rome."

The via praetoria ended abruptly. Or rather, the uneven cobblestone road ended, and continued as a smooth brick street the color of marble. I loved Camp Jupiter, but it's really just a bunch of squat buildings when you come down to it. Some are a little bigger and have some decorations, and I guess there's beauty in that – but it's the city that embodies it.

Most of the houses were located on the left, on a sea of rolling hills. The construction sounded like a nightmare, but Romans are good at that sort of thing, and there are quite a few children or descendants from the god of craftsmanship himself, so that helps. The result was a neighborhood filled with both small suburban houses and grand mansions that looked more like villas.

Right down the middle, avenues of cafes, restaurants, and other small stores ran along for whole streets. Families of adults and young children milled around, laughing and talking and just having a good time. It extended a bit to the right, but the stores get more and more exotic. You go from small family-owned bookstores to small family-owned chariot dealers. They filled in the gaps between the grand Roman buildings like the Colosseum, the Senate House, the Forum, the Circus Maximus, and a bunch of other places I hadn't visited yet.

It was a chaotic mess in the best possible way. Even Reyna was finally impressed. Her eyes scanned the horizon, taking it all in. I tried to follow her gaze. Maybe there was a café she liked? She seemed to look at everything randomly. It took me a second to realize it, but she lingered on the people rather than the places. Families.

"It's great, isn't it?" I asked with a grin.

"It's alright," she said quietly. Not quite the reaction I was hoping for. What's it going to take to make this girl cheer up?

"Maybe you have to look at it from the inside. Come – oh, wait. Almost forgot. Do you have any weapons on you?" I asked.

She raised an eyebrow. "I have the coin. That's all."

"That's it?" I pressed. Reyna didn't seem like the type to lie, but I had a hard time believing someone like her would go anywhere without a backup.

She nodded. Well, I guess there was only way to find out.

"Okay. Step over the line," I told her. Reyna frowned and studied the ground. There was an almost imperceptible line that stretched across the via praetoria and beyond. I couldn't see it from here, but I knew that it continued all the way around New Rome.

"What're you going to do?" Reyna asked slowly.

"Me? Nothing." That irritated her, but it also made her curious, which irritated her even more. She took a breath and stepped over the line.

"Is this a joke?"

An explosion of light and sound erupted right in front of us. Without thinking, I had a weapon in hand by the time my eyes cleared. There, suspended in the air, was a statue. It depicted an oversized and exaggeratedly perfect man, the kind you would see in a museum, complete with a dais and a lack of arms. I'd seen him a hundred times before, but never like this.

"Terminus?" I said hesitantly, lowering my sword. It was him – and yet it wasn't. I'd never seen him with that look on his face – which was entirely different. Gruffer, more somber and worn, like he was scrubbed with sandpaper for a while. And he had a breastplate on.

"_Who dares – _oh, it's just you, Percy."

Yeah. Definitely Terminus. He may look a little different, but no amount of magic could have replicated that sass.

"Good to see you too," I said, dismissing my weapon. He nodded in approval before continuing.

"Well! I know you aren't the smartest person in the forum, but to think that you'd forget not to bring weapons across the Pomerian Line? Sometimes I worry about the state of the legion."

"It's not me," I said, raising both my hands up. "I've just got the coin, same as always. It's – "

"And who is this? A recruit?" Terminus floated over to Reyna, who was also holding a gladius. He hovered like a hummingbird around her, tutting and muttering as he inspected her. She tried to keep the frown on her face.

"Who are you?" she demanded. Terminus gasped dramatically.

"Why, you don't even recognize me? I am Terminus! The god of boundaries, protection – "

"What happened to your arms?" Reyna asked. I tried not to laugh at her expression as Terminus loomed over her.

"Such insolence. To a god! Now I know why I mistook you for Percy. You're just as stubborn as he is, I can already tell," Terminus growled.

"I'm nothing like him," Reyna scoffed. Was I that bad?

"What you _are, _young lady, is a liar. Julia!" Terminus called out. "Julia! Ju – ah, I forgot. Damn it. She's on leave."

"Wait, how come she can get leave?" I demanded, to which he just shrugged.

"Privileges of the family and special conditions in times of war. But never mind that. Young lady – what is your name?"

"Reyna."

"Ridiculous. Young lady, surrender your weapons, if you would."

"Why doesn't he have to give his?" Reyna challenged.

"Lupa only gives those coins to people she thinks are worthy of them, or so she says. I'm supposed to trust their wielders. Besides, does he look like he could be a threat to anyone?" Terminus snorted.

"But Lupa didn't say anything about knives," Terminus said loudly over my protests. "Hand it over, please. Or I will take it by force."

The air shimmered around him. I'd only been here for a year, but I'd seen a few jackasses underestimate Terminus once before. I knew what that shimmer meant.

"Reyna," I said. "Give it to him."

Reyna frowned but did as she was asked. She bent down to roll up one of the legs of her jeans, revealing a knife strapped to her calf with scraps of leather. She unsheathed the weapon, and one look was enough to tell me that it's more than just a simple dagger. Lots of blades are polished, but hers emitted a faint light. There was no mistaking it.

"Imperial gold," I breathed. "Lupa never gave me one of those."

"I didn't get it from Lupa," Reyna said reluctantly.

"You just found it lying around?"

"Shut up! Both of you!" Terminus yelled, and an invisible hand shoved the two of us further apart. I looked at Terminus in bewilderment. Where did _that _come from? He can be pretty pushy, but I've never seen him do that. What the hell's going on?

"Gods, you two remind me way too much of Romulus and Remus. Always Lupa this, Lupa that! Insufferable." He leaned down to Reyna once more and her golden dagger floated up to him. It rotated in every direction under Terminus's close inspection, and after a moment, it vanished.

He studied Reyna. She met his stare.

"Though I must admit," he muttered, "it is strange. Demigods carrying one Imperial gold weapon is rare enough. Two? You'd have to be from a good family. A powerful family. What did you say your name was, again?"

"It's ridiculous," Reyna replied without missing a beat. I was worried that Terminus might literally explode, but he just snorted.

"Definitely has the attitude. Alright, fine. You may enter the city. Just remember, young lady, that the next time you try to enter Rome with a weapon in your hand and ill intent in your heart, I won't ask before I make you disappear, golden coins be damned. Understand?" Terminus demanded.

"Sure," came the reply.

"Good. I hope you enjoy your visit. Welcome to Rome." Then Terminus exploded, although it was a little more subdued than his entrance.

"He's a god?" Reyna asked me the second he was gone. "That was a bit… disappointing. Is he always like that?"

I forced a smile and a laugh, glancing around nervously in case there was a floating statue hiding close by.

"He's a lot of things, but he keeps Rome safe, so we try to keep him happy. I've never seen him like that, though. Didn't think he had a change of clothes lying around somewhere."

"He was dressed for war."

"I guess he was," I replied uneasily. She glanced at me, expecting me to continue, but I just walked faster. Reyna kept up. I knew I would have to tell her the whole story at some point, just not at her very first day. I was thrown to the wolves almost immediately and I didn't want to give her a bad impression of Camp Jupiter. Too many people were leaving. Now that I spent a little time with her, though, Reyna didn't seem the type to run away from problems. I guess truth would be best.

"I can see that you're a little suspicious," I said. "It makes sense. I didn't want to bring this up so soon, but you deserve to know. Let's finish all the errands and go somewhere a little quieter. I'll tell you everything."

Reyna nodded, appeased if not satisfied with my answer.

I took her to get the essentials: clothes, shoes, toiletries, togas, whetstones, knives. A little of everything from some of the most rundown stores in New Rome. I was happy to cover the costs, but I was barely getting by with denarii I earned from doing chores and the legionary allowance. Reyna went back to her usual stone-faced expression. The moment of softness when she first saw New Rome was long gone.

By the end of the budget shopping spree we were carrying a few stuffed plastic bags. I'd offered to carry them for her, but the look she gave me suggested that it would be a very bad idea.

"When are we going to talk about whatever's going on?" Reyna asked. "Is it Saturn?"

More heads turned. Here in the city, the looks we got were more frightened than angry. Somehow that made it worse.

"Not here," I hissed.

"He's already attacked, hasn't he?"

"Not here," I repeated. "Look, we're just going to make a short detour, alright? It's even closer than camp. Come on."

I walked away before she got the chance to respond and attract more attention. I moved at a brisk place back to the via praetoria and immediately cut left, off the path. Reyna followed with no hesitation.

I was taking a shortcut that not a lot of people know – not because it was very well hidden or anything. People just didn't care enough about it. Luckily, I'd taken this track pretty often over the past few months. It was little more than a dirt path made by hundreds of shuffling feet a long time ago, but it still cut the travel time by half. We passed by the large lake in the city, and before long were back on the via praetoria and approaching a bridge crossing the Little Tiber. It stopped at the foot of a hill. Even from this angle, the buildings were visible. They crept closer and closer into my vision as we climbed up.

Enormous constructs of stone and marble gleamed like pearls in the ocean. They were as varied as they were beautiful, ranging from an angry red building to a small, blue building the size of a garden shed. Gold statues were erected in front of most of the temples with inhumanly perfect features in dynamic poses, looking regal and intimidating. Some were armed, most had animals of some kind, and all were made to look threatening.

"Welcome to Temple Hill," I said. Reyna was looking around, frowning. She didn't seem impressed by the temples either.

"Where is everyone?" she asked.

The place was deserted. One or two people were going in and out the temples of Mars and Jupiter, but other than that, we were the only ones here. It was never very crowded but now it was a ghost town.

"Things haven't been good," I sighed. "Most people hate the gods to begin with, but ever since news of Saturn broke out, everyone lost faith. People only come here out of fear, trying to get the favor and fortune from the major gods."

"Do they answer?" Reyna asked.

I recalled the encounter I had earlier, and a chill ran down my spine. I swear some of the statues tilted their heads at me.

"Never," I lied.

I ignored the grandest and most ostentatious temples that stood at the top of the hill and stopped at a smaller building about the size of a modest house. Ivies crawled up the sides of the wall, leaves glinting a strange amber color. Vines, keeled over with fat grapes, dangled on every surface. The door was simple wood with ornate carvings of bulls and panthers that looked way too realistic. Running through the sides of the building were murals and reliefs of dancing men and women, culminating at the door and bowing before the symbol above it: a stick with a pine cone on top. A bit anticlimactic.

"We're here," I told Reyna. "The temple of Bacchus."

She scanned the building skeptically. "We're going to chat inside a temple?" she asked. I couldn't suppress a smile.

"Not exactly inside," I replied. "Come on."

I pushed open the doors and walked inside. The place was deserted, and as far as I knew, had been that way for at least a year. Yet somehow there were still ivies and grapevines inside the buildings too, and the air was thick with the heady smell of wine.

To one side of the wall was a small set of stairs that led straight to the ceiling. I thought it went to a secret attic or a vault or something at first, so naturally I explored it immediately. It was even better than that.

The stairs ended with a narrow door barely wide enough for one person to pass through. I closed my eyes before opening it and stepping outside. I loved this part.

My eyes opened to a secret garden. It was like stepping into Narnia. The cold tile gave way to soft grass and moss, swishing to a breeze that wasn't there. Tall wooden posts stood evenly spaced, barely visible behind the thick mass of grapevines that each looked like a miniature jungle. Flowerbeds ran alongside the edges with bees buzzing over them. The cloying smell of alcohol faded away, replaced by an intoxicating perfume of pollen and flowers.

"It's beautiful," Reyna said. I turned to see that she was wide-eyed. I grinned. Finally, something got more than a monosyllabic response out of her.

"I know, right?" I grinned.

"How did you find this place?" she asked.

"I wanted to repair my dad's temple since it was in worse shape than my social life, so I checked out the other temples to get inspiration. Lots of nasty things around here – the Mars temple has a literal minefield – but sometimes I find something nice," I replied.

I pushed through the vines and came out to a hidden clearing with a stone bench just wide enough to accommodate two or three people with a birdbath standing next to it. I plopped onto the grass. Reyna wrinkled her nose.

"Why would you sit on the ground when there's a perfectly good bench?" she demanded.

"It's nice."

"It's stupid. You'll have dirt all over you."

"Sit on the grass or I'm not telling you anything."

Reyna sighed, but she put the bags on the bench and sat down next to me. The look on her face lightened somewhat as she looked beyond over the roof. There had to be some kind of magic involved here. It was too good.

I could see Camp Jupiter and New Rome in the distance. From here, everything seemed smaller, and for a minute I can pretend that my problems were too. My eyes kept drifting back to New Rome, though, specifically to a building that looked like a longer Colosseum. The Circus Maximus. Memories of pain washed over the tranquility, and I was brought back to earth.

"So," I said. "Where to begin?"

"The beginning is usually a good start," Reyna said.

"Okay. My name is Percy Jackson. I was born in New York. I went to a preschool called – "

Reyna punched my shoulder. I'm sure it was a little friendly, but she really knew how to punch.

"Alright, alright. For real now," I laughed nervously.

"What did Saturn do to you guys?" Reyna asked.

I took a deep breath. "Going right into it, huh?" I said, rubbing my palms together.

"Okay. I guess it really started a few days after I got to camp. I was making a phone call to my mom, telling her that I was fine and everything, but I overheard the praetors talking: Jules, and another guy called Marcus."

"Where is he now?" Reyna interrupted.

"Dead," I said.

"Oh."

"Yeah. Like I said, it's a long story. Anyway, they were arguing about whether they should attack Saturn now or bide our time. They're both good leaders in their own way, but both are equally stubborn. They tried to kill each other a few times over it."

"Until one of them succeeded," Reyna guessed. I only sighed.

"Much too late, but yeah. We have a yearly tournament at the end of the summer. It's called the Bellator Torneamentum. It's pretty cool, actually. We've got chariot races, gladiator fights – "

"You're dodging the question," Reyna said, narrowing her eyes.

"It brings back bad memories," I admitted.

"Best way to face those is head on," Reyna replied.

"I guess. Well, I joined the tournament but didn't win, unfortunately. In the end Jules defended his championship in a gladiator fight that he easily won, but during the award ceremony, he was alone in the arena with Marcus while everyone in New Rome was watching. Now that I think about it, that's probably why Marcus did it then and there. The audience."

I took another breath before continuing. I could _feel _the memories now, the blood on my chest and the pain in my leg. They had to be pushed away from my mind before I could talk again.

"Marcus literally backstabbed Jules before announcing that he would take over the legion and take the fight to the Titans immediately. He would've got him in the stomach if I didn't distract him at the last second. Not a very good assassin, I guess. I don't think that would've killed him even if I wasn't there."

"Abdominal wounds cause the most pain and the slowest deaths," Reyna recited automatically. I frowned at her words.

"Okay. I'm just going to pretend you didn't say that. Marcus made his declaration of war, and even though it was really stupid, for some reason the whole city was bloodthirsty. He had some sort of power that made people want to listen to him. No, not listen – _obey. _He could talk you into anything. What did Jules call it? Uh…"

"Charmspeak," Reyna muttered. I snapped my fingers.

"That's it. How do you know so much about everything? Fighting giants, recognizing Saturn, that dagger, and now charmspeak? Jules had to dig through the archives before he figured it out," I said.

"I have some experience with it," she said carefully.

"Where? Mount Olympus?" I joked. Reyna didn't answer. That made me a little uncomfortable and even more curious. Who is this girl?

"Okay, we'll talk about your mysterious past some other time," I said.

"What happened after Jules was stabbed?" Reyna asked. Even I knew that was a terrible attempt at changing the subject. I humored her all the same.

"Well, like I said, I got his attention. Then I jumped into the ring, distracted him long enough for Alex to sneak behind him. And _that _gave Jules enough time to crawl to Marcus and kill him. Straight to the heart."

My own chest ached at the thought. For a long time, I thought I got cut too. When I described the feeling to Felix he told me it was like a phantom pain, something you feel for wounds that don't exist on limbs you don't have. He told me amputees felt it all the time and said that it would fade. It did, eventually, but not completely. That spear came way too close to my heart.

"And things just got worse ever since," Reyna assumed. I nodded again.

"Yup. It's been over a year and people still whisper about it. Now Jules has the camp preparing for war, and it's only getting worse," I said.

"Your leader is crippled, your fighting force consists of teenagers, and you're against an army of monsters led by Titans who could fight toe to toe against the gods," Reyna listed. "Yeah. They should be scared."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I muttered.

"Sorry. Just trying to be realistic here."

"Appreciate it," I mumbled.

The sun was starting to set now. That felt strangely appropriate. It nestled between the ridge of the valley, casting ochre rays across the land and lighting New Rome ablaze. The white and gray buildings looked like pizza ovens. My stomach rumbled, reminding me how hungry I had gotten.

"Well, that was a nice talk," I said, clambering onto my feet and holding out a hand for her. "But not even this view can beat a Roman dinner. Let's get to the mess hall."

Reyna stood up, ignoring my help, and brushed herself off. She reached out to grab the bags and hesitated.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"It was something you said," Reyna replied reluctantly.

"About Saturn?"

"About calling your mom."

"Oh," I said, reaching into my pockets and pulling out a thrashed Android, handing it to her. "Go ahead. But I don't think they have cell towers in Mount Olympus if you're planning to call your mom."

Reyna rolled her eyes but took my phone all the same.

"I'm calling… someone else," she said.

"Alright. You know, I usually respect people's private lives, but I feel like I've told you a lot of myself and learned nothing about you, and I'm not gonna lie, that just makes me want to know more."

There was a long pause as Reyna weighed the pros and cons. I could practically see the scales in her head as she pursed her lips in thought.

"My sister," she relented. "Hylla. She's the one who brought me… here."

"Okay. You have a sister. See, that wasn't so hard." I grinned at her glare and made my way to the stairs.

"Wait!" Reyna called out. I turned to see that her face had flushed. Had I annoyed her that much?

"What is it? You know your way back, right?"

"I'm new, not stupid," she grumbled. "It's just… I don't know how to use phones."

For the millionth time today, I gave her a weird look. "You mean you don't know how to use an Android?"

"I – yes." It was brief, but I caught the hesitation. She can't use phones? And I thought I was bad with technology. I walked back to her and showed her the basics: how to dial numbers, how to call, how to hang up. Every now and then I'd pause to see if she was keeping up, and every time I looked her way she immediately changed the awed look on her face into a neutral one. Just one more mystery to solve.

With that, I left her in the garden of Bacchus. The instant I closed the door, the thought of listening in to her conversation popped into my head. I pushed it aside. It was tempting, but wrong. Reyna deserved some privacy.

I hopped down the stairs and started the long walk back to camp. I'd gone this way so many times in the past year, carrying power tools and all sorts of materials to fix up the temple to Neptune that I was convinced I singlehandedly recreated the footpath here.

I glanced at the little blue shed at the end of the line of the major Olympian temples and my stomach lurched involuntarily. This time, it had nothing to do with hunger.

Neptune had come to camp just hours before. I hadn't told anyone yet, not even Octavian, despite what he told me in there – or maybe because of it. I could replay his words in my head, verbatim: 'there must always be a praetor in Rome'. I had no idea what that meant, but they chased me all the way back to Camp Jupiter.

The streets were just as deserted as Temple Hill, but the raucous laughter and chatter that was bubbling in the air set a completely different atmosphere. It was the kind of emptiness that meant good company was just a little further up.

I turned a corner to see the whole legion arrayed in long wooden benches with wide seats attached to them. It was a stark contrast to the mood this morning, but food had a weird effect on people. The food that the aurae served just made it better. I think that's why I love dinner so much.

It was easy to spot my friends: I just had to find the shabbiest table. They were seated with a bunch of other Fifth legionaries at opposite ends, separated in clouds of conversation. I'd sat next to Octavian before they noticed me.

"Look who decided to show up," Octavian said. He stuck out a fist, and I bumped it.

"Come on, did you really think I'd miss dinner?" I grinned. The moment I sat down the wind stormed around me before a plate drifted onto the table: a stack of grilled cheese sandwiches with blue French fries.

"I still don't get the whole 'blue food' thing," Felix muttered as I scarfed it down.

"Where's the new girl?" I looked up from my meal and saw Vanessa frowning at me. She was buff even when I first got here, but now she looked like she could bench-press more than Felix. With her long, wiry black hair, tattooed arm, and dark skin, I was instantly reminded of a biker gang. I didn't say that, though. Only Mercury kids were more creative when it came to pranks and revenge plots than Vulcan kids, and Vanessa spent a lot of time with Alex.

"She borrowed her phone to call someone. It might be a while before she comes back. And her name is Reyna," I said.

"Yeah, I know," she huffed. "The whole camp knows about her already. Some people say she fought some giants, or killed a dragon, or came to camp on a flying horse. It doesn't help that you're sponsoring her."

"Lay off, dude," Octavian said. "She would've gotten a lot of attention no matter what. You just haven't seen her yet."

"She's not that bad," I shrugged. The others stared at me.

"What? I mean, sure, she can be a little scary, but I don't think she's a bad person."

"Percy Jackson, you are an idiot," Alex stated.

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Okay, Mr. Genius. That girl was gorgeous," she said, enunciating each word slowly, like she was talking to a kid. I frowned, thinking back to my interactions with her.

"I guess she's alright," I said. Octavian sighed and rolled his eyes, and Alex nudged him.

"What did I tell you?"

"I don't want to be mean, but I kind of agree with Percy," Felix said.

"No. Felix, you too?" Octavian groaned. "I thought you were at least better than Percy."

"Look, I have no idea what you're talking about," I declared.

"It's not totally your fault," Octavian cut in. "I guess it's a little hard to tell because she looked like she just crawled through a jungle, but even I can see that if she worked for it a little, Reyna might look one of the Venus kids."

I thought about that for a minute, trying to picture Reyna in a dress. It just felt wrong.

"I still don't see it," I repeated.

"Maybe she's just not you're type," Felix suggested.

"Do you have a type?" Alex asked, suddenly interested, leaning forward on her elbows. I just shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe if she were blonde?"

"Dumb blonde," Alex nodded, apparently satisfied. "It suits you."

"Why are we even talking about this?" I said, flustered. "It's mean. It sounds like something the First Cohort would be talking about."

I unconsciously glanced their way. They were the smallest but loudest group, sitting around four or five benches pulled together. My expression soured as I looked at them. Everyone in camp was at least a little weird, sure, and everyone made fun of the Fifth Cohort sometimes. But the First Cohort took all that and turned it up to eleven. They thought just because they'd produced the most praetors in the past, they were the best cohort. I hated to think that they're kind of right in a way.

"We do this for all recruits," Vanessa said.

"Wait a minute. Did you guys talk about me, too?" I said, wide-eyed.

Octavian frowned. "You mean you just found out?"

"Oh gods," I groaned.

"I remember thinking that you might be one of those people who're secretly smart," Alex said. "I admit, sometimes even I can make mistakes."

"I thought you were a good guy," Felix said honestly. I brightened up a bit. You could always count on him to have something nice to say.

"I didn't think of you very much," Vanessa said with a sheepish smile. "I'm pretty sure I forgot your name at some point."

Vanessa could be a little too honest. I turned to Octavian. He cocked his head.

"I thought you were the most interesting person in camp," he said after a second's consideration. "And that opinion still hasn't changed."

"Wow, wedding vows already?" Alex said.

"What can I say?" I shrugged. "We're a power couple."

There was a small break in the conversations around us, replaced by muttering and some whispers. Heads turned, and Reyna was making her way through the mess hall. She managed to ignore everyone there and made a beeline for our table. Looking at her now, I guess the others were right: she was pretty. Maybe not in the cheerleader sort of way. More like that one kid in class whose parents have unrealistically high expectations and force her to be the perfect girl who was out of everyone's league. Actually, that described her perfectly.

Reyna sat at our table without a word before she pulled out my phone and handed it to me.

"Thanks," she muttered. I nodded happily.

"How was your talk?" I asked, trying to go for a casual tone.

"It was fine." Still tight-lipped. Well, at least I made some progress today.

"I'm Vanessa, by the way," Vanessa said loudly, holding out her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Hi. I'm Reyna," Reyna replied, shaking her hand. Vanessa held it for a second longer than she needed to as the girls stared into each other's eyes. Some kind of understanding must have passed between them, because they released their hands at the same time. Vanessa was smiling, and I thought I could see the corners of Reyna's mouth twitch up a little.

I just shook my head. Gods, monsters, and Romans, and yet girls were still the biggest mystery in my life.

An aurae billowed through the table to whisk away our empty plates. Most people were finished with their meals by this time, so I was a little surprised to see a new one float to our table and settle in front of Reyna. It looked like a spicy dish of roast chicken and rice, and for some reason, a little bowl of jelly beans.

"I never thought I'd meet someone who has weirder tastes than Percy, but I guess there can be miracles," Vanessa muttered, shaking her head.

Reyna just stared at the bowl like it was filled with gold. She picked one up gingerly, then popped it into her mouth. She almost cracked a smile.

"What's the story behind that?" Felix asked.

"I loved them as a child," Reyna said without even turning to him. "But it's been years since I had them. I can barely even remember liking them. How did they know?"

"Part of why dinner is so good," Octavian said, "is that the aurae always know what you want, even when you don't."

Reyna nodded slowly, then continued eating. Octavian raised his eyebrows at me. I just shrugged with one shoulder. _Not the talkative type, _I thought. We'd spent so much time together that he got my meaning.

After that, the conversation started again. Our attempts to ask Reyna questions or getting her to talk were met with nods, grunts, and monosyllabic answers, so we ended up talking amongst ourselves. I think she preferred it that way.

Before long people started to leave the mess and went back to their barracks. First it was a trickle of two or three legionaries which turned into a flood as people left en masse. We were among the last to leave.

"So, Reyna," Vanessa started to say, "I found an extra bunk bed and put it in our room. Let me know if there's anything wrong, alright?"

"Okay," Reyna said. Then a second later, "thank you."

"No problem." For some reason, Alex frowned a little at her reply. I was a little concerned.

Vanessa seemed to get along with Reyna. That made sense, given how they were more alike than I thought. Felix seemed indifferent but friendly, Octavian was keeping a respectful distance like he did with everyone except me and the others, and I think after Reyna warms up to us a little, she'll fit right in. Alex was the only one who seemed to have some reservations.

We entered our room. I felt exhausted the instant I saw my bed, today's exertions finally catching up to me. Vanessa, true to her word, had installed an extra bunk above the girls' section. I didn't have to check, but I knew they were evenly spaced and on the exactly level with my own bed. Vanessa was uncannily good at that kind of stuff.

When I clambered onto the top bunk, I caught Reyna staring at me. I felt a little self-conscious, until I realized she was looking past me at the wall. I turned to face it and hit a wave of nostalgia.

They were pictures. Photographs, really. There was a one of us celebrating my birthday, with blue paint smeared all over me. One where we celebrated Octavian's win in a debate competition, one with just Alex and I, one with Vanessa hard at work in the forge while the rest of us made faces behind her. And in the center of it all, there was a photo of the five of us in front of a gold and bronze chariot. I hardly recognized myself or the others. I tried to forget what had happened just hours after that picture was taken and tried to remember the emotions right at that moment. Terrified, anxious, but surrounded by friends.

I turned to see Reyna looking away and pretending to sleep. I thought she seemed curious when I caught her looking. Now I think she was wistful.

I was overthinking it. Sure, a lot of the stuff she'd said and done were weird. It's definitely not the first time she'd come across magic and monsters. She seemed familiar with Titans for some reason. Terminus suggested that she came from a powerful family, to own an Imperial gold weapon. She's way out of touch with technology, she doesn't know how to socialize… what does it all mean?

Whatever. At the end of the day, demigod or no, Reyna was a girl who just arrived in Camp Jupiter. Things can get pretty crazy at the best of times, and this was far from it.

I rolled over and fell asleep in a matter of seconds. Then the real nightmare began.

I was in a hilly field, crouched on top of one. I could feel the sun blazing on my skin, hear a river rushing nearby. My hands were caked in what looked like mud. I was standing still, but my arm came up to wipe the sweat off my brow.

I felt myself grinning and admiring my work: the beginnings of a small house. I got to my feet and clambered down the side of the hill before climbing another slope. There, a low wall of bricks was starting to ring around the summit. Somebody was scraping more mortar behind the little construction. I easily hopped over it and saw a young man. He was wearing what looked like a potato sack with holes cut out for his arms and held a small spade that he used to layer cement. He had curly hair, olive skin, and a face I could only describe as statuesque. I was instantly reminded of the sculptures all over New Rome.

"And what is this supposed to be, Romulus? Are your people to live on the wall?" I said in a voice that wasn't mine.

"Shut up, Remus," the other guy, Romulus, snapped. "The first thing a king must do is ensure his people's safety. Comfort can wait."

"Safety?" I laughed, jumping over the wall and back again. "With this?"

"Shut up," Romulus repeated. I just kept laughing and jumping.

"Why can't you see that the Aventine Hill is better? I still don't understand why you settled on this one. Come, brother, leave this silly dream and work with me! Together, we can build a city that will last forever! Together – "

I felt something push against my skin. Then I realized it was going even deeper, and I felt it pierce my stomach. I looked to see Romulus standing before me, one hand on my shoulder and the other on the golden dagger that he used to stab me.

"Rome will never have two rulers," he whispered. Romulus let go of his hold. I fell to the ground, but I didn't stop falling. I felt myself move through the earth, saw his cold eyes staring down as I plummeted straight down. Falling, falling. Darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

"Reyna," I said slowly, "put down the sword."

She looked at me, her hair tangled, her eyes wild. Reyna had her Imperial gold gladius out and gripped it with both hands. It was pointed towards me, but I knew it was meant for the person behind me.

Well, technically it's not a person, but that was an endless debate.

"Protect me, Percy!" Vitellius shouted. "She's gone mad!"

"Shut up, Vitellius," Octavian said sharply. He and the others were on their feet as well and were inching their way towards Reyna with arms outstretched, like they were approaching a startled horse.

Reyna's sword quivered but she didn't quite lower it. "Why the hell do you have a – a _ghost_ living here?"

"A ghost?" Vitellius cried out. "You insult me! I'll have you know – "

Reyna stepped forward. I stepped back. Vitellius squealed and cowered behind me.

"Whoa, Reyna, calm down!" I cried out. "Vitellius is a Lare. Technically not a ghost. He's harmless. But if that sword even touches him…"

Imperial gold was different from other metals. It was forged and consecrated with long-forgotten techniques, creating weapons that could tear apart anything magical – like monsters, demigods, and ghosts. Regular metal had a hard time hurting monsters, but Imperial gold cut through their very existence. A little scratch on a lesser spirit like Vitellius and he was toast.

"What did he do?" Reyna demanded.

"What? He didn't do anything!"

"He was a legionary in ancient Rome and has come back as a guardian," Octavian said quickly. "He was honorably discharged. The only thing he ever did was fulfil his duty. He never hurt anyone."

"He came back from the dead?"

"Yes."

"Doesn't that make him a ghost?"

"Well, uh…"

"Of course not!" Vitellius screeched. I gave him a warning look. At least he didn't make insults.

"I never went to the Underworld. My spirit never faded to begin with! It just lingered and reformed. Technically, I never died!"

Reyna hesitated and slowly, inch by inch, lowered her sword. I mirrored her motion and lowered my arms too. The others did the same.

"What the hell was that?" Alex said.

"I… I'm sorry," muttered Reyna.

"That's all you have to say?" Vanessa asked. "Not going to explain why you flipped out on a Lare?"

"I'm sorry," she repeated, finally putting away her sword. Alex and Vanessa were about to yell at her, but Felix interceded.

"It's okay guys," he said loudly. "Nobody got hurt, at least. She clearly doesn't want to talk about it."

"I don't care," Alex snarled, "if she's going to pull out a sword on a Lare, what's she going to do to the rest of us when our backs are turned?"

"Alex," I called out. "Let it go. We will talk about this, don't worry. Just not now."

Alex narrowed her eyes at me while Reyna stared at her feet. The silence held for much too long before Felix cut in.

"Come on," he said, trying for a smile. "Legionary training's about to start. Let's not piss off Jules."

Vanessa grumbled a reply before heading to the showers. Alex gave Reyna a lingering glare before following. Reyna left soon after. Us guys gave each other relieved glances, grateful for the fact that we don't have any drama.

Still, Alex's response was justified. What the hell was Reyna thinking? Obviously, she thought Vitellius was dangerous. Either she was attacked by one in the past – which is impossible – or she had experience with something similar. Where had she been to have encountered ghosts and charmspeak and monsters? It just raised more questions.

I pushed aside my curiosity for now. We had legionary training to deal with, after all.

Ever since the incident in the Colosseum, one of Jules's first orders was to redouble training. There was less focus on conditioning and more combat simulations and drilling. We practiced our formations most of all, learning to obey and carry out orders within seconds. It hadn't been easy. Organizing a bunch of teenagers never was, but it's worse when those teenagers were exhausted and heavily armed.

The only thing that kept me going for most days was the thought of dinner while my friends kept me sane. On particularly bad days, I'd think of my mom. I had to do that a lot more often lately.

The boys and I left the barracks at more or less the same time. The girls were already outside. Vanessa and Alex stood close together while Reyna was a little distance away. I filled the gap between them.

"Do you think you're up for legionary training? It's not easy. Nobody's going to think less of you if you sit this one out for now," I suggested.

"I'm fine," Reyna said with a tight smile. "I can take it."

"He's really just asking if you're going to pull out a gladius on us while we're jogging," Alex scathed.

"Hey, man," I started. Again, Felix reached out and stopped me continuing. Probably for the best. Alex huffed and turned away. At least Vanessa seemed a little more understanding. She spared an apologetic glance at Reyna before heading off to Alex.

"They're just a little surprised," I assured Reyna. "I'm sure they'll come around."

She nodded mutely. I looked to Octavian and Felix for help.

"Hey, so, uh… do you like jogging?" Octavian asked. I felt my eyes roll to the back of my head but still managed to catch Felix cringing.

"Sure," Reyna said.

Octavian turned to us, wringing his hands and shrugging while Felix and I tried not to laugh. It still amazed me that Octavian could convince people to literally do his work for him but didn't have the slightest clue how to make friends.

We were saved by the bell. "Okay, listen up, boys and girls!" a familiar voice called out from behind. Heads turned to see the red-mouthed son of Bacchus, newly promoted to centurion, looking disheveled and somewhat uncomfortable.

"Ten laps around Camp Jupiter, one around New Rome, then we move on to the sparring pits. Sound good?" he called out. About half the crowd nodded or mumbled 'yes'. The other half tried not to fall asleep. Dakota nodded, satisfied, before turning to run at a brisk pace. The Fifth Cohort trailed behind with a chorus of yawns and grumbling.

I hated conditioning, but at least it gave me a chance to organize my thoughts. I tried not to think about Reyna too much, though I checked if she was keeping up every now and then. It wasn't really a surprise to see that Reyna was almost as athletic as the senior legionaries. She slipped out of my thoughts soon enough.

Instead, I busied myself with how the others were taking to her. Felix and Octavian seem to like her, and Vanessa definitely had a lot in common with Reyna. For some reason, it was Alex that had the most trouble with Reyna. I thought she'd be the most welcoming. She was nice to me when I first got here. Why was Reyna any different?

I tried to come up with several explanations, none of them good, eventually giving up and trying to take in the scenery instead. The occasional morning breeze came just often enough to give mouthfuls of fresh air every now and then. Running along the banks of the Little Tiber was great, especially for me. It was almost enough to make me forget the aches spreading through my entire body.

By the time Dakota called for a halt by the training grounds I wanted to lie in the dirt. Even Reyna seemed exhausted. She seemed surprised to be panting and covered in sweat, frowning as she tried to get her breathing under control. It was hard to take Dakota seriously most of the time, though looking at him now, only a little out of breath, I was reminded of why he was made centurion.

"Okay people, you know the drill!" he called out. "Get with your teams and gear up, meet back outside in five minutes. Percy? Take care of the new girl, yeah?"

I gave him a nod and a thumbs-up before joining up with the others. The Fifth Cohort broke off to groups of four or five and entered the armory. I spotted my friends near the entrance.

"Alright, you heard the man," Octavian said. "Let's head inside."

The armory, a wide, flat building marked with crossed spears above the red-painted doors, was home to four enormous, Ikea sized shelves that held rows and rows of every weapon imaginable. Spears, swords, shields, and various pieces of armor made up the bulk of the equipment, alongside knives, javelins, cestus, and even a few guns. But the most lethal weapons were kept at the far end of the armory inside locked display cabinets: blades edged or made from solid Imperial gold. Barring a few exceptions, like the coins held by Julius, Reyna, and me, all the legion's Imperial gold weapons fit inside a single cabinet. It was depressing now that I think about it.

Still, the armory was a sight to behold. Reyna paused for a second to take it all in, her eyes pinpointing everything of interest to her. Something told me that this wasn't all that unfamiliar to her, so I decided not to waste time. We brushed past other tired but not quite exhausted legionaries, joking and ribbing each other.

The weapons and armor were arranged based on size, with the largest ones farthest away from the door. Being the smallest of us, Alex made the first stop to strap on her armor and grab the standard set of weapons: a gladius, a scutum, a pilum, a pugio, and their sheaths. The rest of us found our sizes a little further in while Vanessa wandered deeper inside to get her equipment.

My suspicions were right. Reyna put on her armor just as easy as the rest of us, though she did look a little uncomfortable holding a pilum and scutum. I nodded in understanding.

"You'll get used to it," I promised, twirling my own pilum to demonstrate.

"Show off," Vanessa called. "You were even worse with a spear than Felix."

"I wasn't that bad," Felix protested, smiling. "At least I could throw one without stabbing myself."

"Alright, alright," I grumbled, "you made your point." Reyna eyed me uncertainly and remained silent.

My friends were right, of course. My skills with a spear were atrocious, even worse than my archery, which is saying something. Of course, things have changed. I'd been practicing day and night nearly every day for almost a year now. It was because I couldn't use a spear that led to my friends being in danger and Octavian almost dying in the Bellator Torneamentum last year. I promised myself that it would never happen again. I just hoped that I wouldn't have to use a bow anytime soon.

We trudged outside after Vanessa reappeared, along with most of the Cohort. The sun had climbed up the sky now, its light reflecting off the Little Tiber off in the distance and the marble of the buildings. The metal armor and blades made it all bounce off multiple surfaces. Everyone was sweating by now.

"Okay everybody, gather round!" Dakota yelled. He had to repeat his orders several times before we listened. Eventually we fell in line.

"We're going to practice formations again today. I know, I know," he shouted over the wave of groans. "But you know what's at stake. You wouldn't be complaining if you knew – "the legionary beside him, Gwen, elbowed Dakota and knocked the wind off him too late.

"Know what?" Octavian called out. The awkward silence stretched as Dakota tried to think of an answer.

"If you knew… how important you guys are! Yeah! It's easy to forget your worth, especially these days, so… don't forget!" Dakota finished his impromptu speech with a crazed grin. The senior legionaries around him nodded unconvincingly with equally forced smiles. I couldn't help but deflate a little. Sometimes it's not hard to see why the other cohorts think so little of us.

Dakota blithered on until we formed ranks, five deep and ten across. Or at least, we should've been. There were quite a few gaps in the formation. Demigods were disappearing, either losing faith or rediscovering it with the Titans, if the rumors were to be believed. Dakota realized his mistake too late and had us close ranks eventually, but the message was clear. Gone but not forgotten.

Formation training went as well as I expected. We all knew what we were doing, but the combined burden of the armor, the weapons, the heat, and our own exhaustion made every movement a struggle. The slower we moved, the faster Dakota gave commands.

"_Cuneum formate! Orbem formate! Agmen formate! Contendite vestra sponte!" _Dakota yelled. Those were the ones he called on the most for some reason.

We moved through the formations with relative ease, all things considered. Legionaries huddled together to lock shields or form a wedge with pila planted on the ground and swords drawn or a square bristling with spearpoints. Every change happened in the space of around ten seconds, during which time demigods hustled with spears pointed up and shields lowered to achieve some measure of mobility. It wasn't so different from a school play. I'd finally found a use for drama class.

Despite the fact that none of us spoke any Latin before coming to Camp Jupiter, all demigods could vaguely understand the words, like listening to the lyrics of an almost forgotten song. It was probably the only reason why Reyna hadn't stabbed herself. I tried my best to stay near her and have her follow my lead, but for every correct motion she made about five more mistakes, cursing in two languages as she went along.

"What's wrong?" I gasped between breaths. "You're doing fine!"

"Not good enough," she muttered, repeating the words behind gritted teeth. "Not good enough."

Gods, did she have a type A personality on top of everything else? I tried not to let that distract me for now.

After a while everyone started making mistakes. Legionaries stumbled and actually fell over, but that only prompted Dakota to push us harder. Only when absolutely everyone had made a fatal error did he stop.

"Alright, everyone! Good work!" he yelled, taking a swing from his flask to ease his throat. I had to hand it to Dakota. I would've thought it was impossible to tire out these many demigods short of an all-out war, but his regimen proved me wrong.

"Now let's move on to weapons training," he said cheerfully. We couldn't even give a coherent response. Dakota, apparently realizing that he'd pushed us too far, let us take a five minute break that lasted for fifteen.

I spent most of it on my back with limbs outstretched. A voice sounded beside me with the strange vibrato that you hear when your ear's next to the ground.

"Why don't you take a break? Trust me, you'll need it," Felix said. I turned on my belly and propped myself up on my elbows to see the rest of my friends collapsed in various positions while Reyna was standing. Judging from her expression, she'd remained standing.

"It's better for your muscles if you don't take breaks," Reyna said, her voice clipped and halting.

"It's even better if you don't pass out," Octavian retorted. "The fact that you haven't already shows you're tough. There's no need to push yourself that much."

His words were getting to her, but Reyna didn't relent. In fact, she just started stretching, which let me see the sweat drenched on her clothes and the drops on her face and neck. She looked ready to fall apart.

"If they're not taking a break, I won't either," she finally said, jerking her head. We turned to where she was looking and saw Dakota and some of the senior legionaries already on their feet and stretching too.

Alex scoffed. "Dude, not gonna lie, I don't like you that much. But you're delusional if you think you can keep up with them from the get-go. Just take a break. Octavian's right, you have nothing to prove."

Reyna shook her head and Alex rolled her eyes. I was inclined to agree with Alex, but Reyna was far too stubborn. I could only sigh and try not to fall asleep.

For some reason, more and more people got to their feet, even the newer or lazier kids who clearly weren't done resting. Either they were shamed into following Reyna's example or thought that break was already over. The latter was probably the more likely reason, but the results were undeniable. Even Dakota seemed surprised to see that so many legionaries were standing.

"Alright, alright, alright! I like the initiative, boys and girls! Let's continue!" he said. At last, the Fifth Cohort all rose. While some were already standing, even more had been enjoying their breaks and glared at Reyna. I stepped beside her defensively and glared at them in return, even though my own body was screaming in complaint.

"You know the drill. Find a partner, spar till you drop, and keep going. Alright, people, let's see some action!" Dakota ended his directions with a whoop. He rushed off to his buddies and left the rest of us to find partners for ourselves.

Normally I'd go with Alex or maybe Octavian, since we were about evenly matched, but I had a feeling that Reyna wouldn't be a good fit for them. Though I'd never say it out loud, she was clearly better than Octavian, and I didn't trust Alex to stop herself from murdering her and vice versa. Besides, I was her sponsor.

"Reyna, is it cool if you partner up with me?" I asked, raising my huge shield and spear. She looked a little surprised but nodded all the same.

Vanessa and Felix weren't excellent swordsmen, but they had a similar build and style of beating the crap out of their opponents until they win, so they paired up. Octavian and Alex took each other on. That was always an interesting fight. For now, I settled for dueling Reyna. I couldn't help but feel a little excited. I felt bad for even thinking it, but if I were honest I was looking forward to fighting someone new.

She seemed to feel the same. Reyna looked slightly more enthusiastic than usual – or at least as enthusiastic as Reyna could manage, which isn't really saying much – she just seemed more cautious than alert as she mirrored my movements and lowered her spear. Scutum on the left hand, pilum on the right, left foot forward, knees bent slightly. Perfect form. Then we began.

It started with us moving to either side, jabbing from time to time to get a feel for the other's speed and reach. I made the first move.

Shield raised, I thrusted forward. Reyna caught the tip with her scutum and absorbed the hit, using the momentum to shift her weight to her right foot and her spear ready for an overhead swipe. It was a good move, but painfully obvious. When she brought down her pilum I stepped forward and took the hit with my shield before pushing it sharply to my left, wrenching it from her grip. Reyna stumbled, and I took the opening to raise my spear to her throat.

"That was good," I said, and meant it. "But you're using your spear like a sword. Try to – "

"I got it," she snapped, brushing the blade aside and picking up her spear.

I shrugged. Suit herself.

This time, she made the first move. Reyna lurched forward, shield first, and lunged with her spear while putting her right foot forward, faster than I thought she would be.

I brought up my shield just in time, blocking her strike that would've hit my shoulder. I peeked over the scutum and yelped before moving my left foot back, barely avoiding losing my toes.

_She's going for exposed parts, _I guessed, and crouched in response while raising my shield at an angle. Sure enough, I felt her pilum slide over the scutum right where my head had been. I repeated the same move, this time pushing upwards, throwing her off balance and creating another opening for me to point my spear to her chest.

"Even better," I said. "But you need to remember, the spear's advantage is its reach. If you keep overextending – "

"I lose," Reyna sighed in frustration.

"Basically," I agreed.

Reyna frowned and fell back to the usual stance. It was my turn to sigh. I knew that the ideal situation would be to let her practice the spear some more, but I think what she needs most right now is some confidence. And I would be lying if I said I didn't want to see her use her sword.

"Tell you what," I said, lowering my guard. Reyna did the same suspiciously.

"Lose the spear and the shield," I said. "Let's see how good you are with a sword." She raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure it can't be any worse than this," I replied. Reyna snorted, but the corners of her lips twitched upwards for a second. After a moment's consideration she did as I asked, placing her weapons on the ground and drawing her gladius – the ordinary one, not from the coin. I nodded in approval and tossed away my shield.

"Never liked it," I said when Reyna looked at me curiously. She actually grinned before resuming her battle-focus and stepping into battle. I took a deep breath and exhaled, giving my pilum a whirl before lowering it, entering a sort of focused trance that I hoped to get in math tests but could only achieve in a fight.

As usual, I took the chance to think of every factor before the fight. The pilum I had is perfect to use with a scutum and in formation but terrible to wield on its own. The long spike that served as a blade was used more to thrust from behind a shield wall. Reyna had a gladius – not great by itself, but better than a pilum. I had reach and speed, though it was all over if she closed the distance to me. My game plan was to avoid getting into close-quarters. Simple enough.

I fell into stance: feet turned 60 degrees to the right, left foot forward, knees bent. After a second of consideration I decided to place one hand about a foot and a half away from the blade and one hand in the middle of the spear. Less reach for more control. I had a feeling I would need it against Reyna.

She sized me up much the same way I did her; surefire evidence that she had more experience than Lupa's training. Then she did something even weirder. Reyna put away her gladius and took a moment to tie her hair back, her fingers twining strands into an immaculate braid within seconds, giving a perfect view of her clear, calculating eyes. I tried and failed to hide a smile.

"What?" she demanded, drawing her sword again.

"You all done, or do you need it curled too?"

"I can't kick your ass with hair in my eyes," Reyna replied calmly. I just chuckled. A clever retort seemed a little inappropriate since she was probably right.

_Only one way to find out. _

I closed my eyes to breathe in deeply and exhale, and as the air left my lungs so did all distracting thoughts, the sounds of legionaries shouting and feet scuffling disappearing. When my eyes flicked open, Reyna was ready. I attacked.

The pilum darted forward, once, twice, thrice, aiming for different parts of her body. Reyna evaded them all with fast footwork, moving like a boxer. On the fourth thrust I swept the spear sideways, controlling the movement by stopping the shaft on my ribs. Reyna was forced to duck down. I drove the pilum downwards and tapped her on the back of her breastplate.

"One for me," I declared, taking a few steps back to see that Reyna's gladius was inches away from my chest.

"Close one," I grinned. She scowled and stepped back too. After a breath, we continued.

Reyna took her time this round. I attacked with thrusts, controlled swipes, and broad sweeps that whirled around me like a tetherball, and just as fast. Reyna sidestepped, parried, and ducked with practiced ease. I switched tactics.

I drew back the spear and changed my grip to use the pilum more like a quarterstaff. I alternated my attacks using both ends of the spear and moved on instinct, reacting to Reyna's responses. That was a mistake.

Reyna blocked an overhead cut with her gladius. I tried to pull back and was too late. She pushed upwards, making me stumble, and giving her the chance to close the gap and raise her sword to my throat a second before I could do the same.

"One for me," she said with a satisfied smile. I nodded grudgingly.

Before starting the next round, I took another deep breath, clearing my head – and realized that I didn't have to. For the first time since we started sparring I paid attention to other people. Most of the legionaries around us had stopped to look, and they were calling their friends over to do the same. I spotted Dakota there, among the older legionaries. He didn't even try to get the others back to their partners.

Reyna seemed too focused to care. There was something to be admired in that.

She started the fight. Reyna approached with slow but precise cuts and thrusts that forced me to keep stepping backwards. Each blow rattled the pilum and I could only hope that the wood wouldn't snap. I dodged out of the way instead of using my spear for fear that it would break.

This wasn't going anywhere for me. Reyna inched closer and closer. I had to do something.

There was a chance. Reyna attacked with a wide swing, and instead of stepping back, I stepped forward and lifted my spear with the point down and the shaft up. Her hand hit the wood and stopped her gladius from cutting into my ribs. It was easy to sweep her legs from under her from that position.

The crowd muttered and shrugged, like _yeah, that was bound to happen. _

I couldn't help but grin. Beating someone as skilled as Reyna took everything from me, and I let myself be a little proud.

Reyna finally realized that we had an audience. It was hard to tell with her complexion, but I think her face flushed with embarrassment. My heart sank. That's not the impression I wanted to make.

"Hey," I called out. Reyna's head snapped to face me. "One more time?"

She narrowed her eyes and straightened. "Sure," she said.

I nodded, fell into stance, and refocused. Handing her the victory would be even worse. Besides, it's not like I had to resort to that. I'd say we had equal chances of winning.

Then Reyna threw her sword.

I could only respond by batting it down with my spear. Something glinted just ahead of me. I looked up to see a flash of gold coming straight to my face. Instinctively, I raised my spear to divert her sword arm. Reyna saw it coming and brought down her elbow on the length of wood at the same time. The combined forces snapped it like a bone.

I did the only thing I could accomplish with a useless stick. I threw it at her face. Reyna cut it in half with ease, but it bought me the second I needed to summon my own gladius. The next sound I heard was the clear ring of Imperial gold meeting Imperial gold.

I could see Reyna's dark eyes over her blade. The focused frown was gone, replaced by the aquiline gaze of a predator.

Her movements were no longer calculated and precise. She unleashed a barrage of attacks that grew fiercer and fiercer. I felt like I was fighting an entire legion. One person shouldn't be able to move that fast. I held on for dear life, staying on the defensive to keep that sword away from me.

And it was exhilarating. My blood coursed through my veins, delivering adrenaline to every part of my body. It was the thrill I only felt when I faced Octavian on one of his good days, when he seemed to know where I was going to attack before I did, or when Alex dropped whatever she was holding and pulled out her knives. And Reyna was even better.

A near miss shook me out of my reverie. Reyna was relentless with her blade. I clenched my jaw. _Enough of this. _

I stepped into a wild swing and responded with a thrust that Reyna sidestepped. The tables were turned, and I led the dance. I sliced and stabbed from every conceivable angle, using every trick I'd learned. Reyna kept up. She didn't give me the chance to analyze a way to win, either. Every thought was shaken out of me with the bright echo of Imperial gold blades clashing. I could only reach one conclusion: she was as good as me.

More aggressive too, as I found out. Reyna began her counterattack after I overextended a lunge, but I refused to make this a battle of attrition. I doubt I'd win. I went back on the offensive instead.

While before we went back and forth like a pendulum, now we were at each other's throats, fighting toe to toe. A step backwards was immediately followed by a surge forward.

Reyna swung from my left. I swiped violently from the opposite direction, knocking back her attack and moved to counter with an underhanded thrust. Somehow, her gladius intercepted mine – she must've used the momentum of my parry to poise for a similar block – and tried to disarm me. She succeeded. Fortunately, I saw it coming.

My sword flew to the right. I reached out with my left hand to catch my gladius and slice upwards, like I was unsheathing a weapon. Reyna sidestepped and went for the finishing blow, and so did I. Grabbing the gladius with both hands, I swung down at her sword with a two-handed overhead swing, using it like a hammer. Reyna met the attack with her own strike, gripping her sword with both hands as well.

The clash of metal rang out in the dead silence. We were both breathing hard. All I could hear was my galloping heart, all I could see was the dead-set determination of my opponent. I felt myself grin. That was the most fun I've had in my life.

"That was – "

Reyna grabbed my shirt and headbutted me. I stumbled back, my vision skewed – and a car must have hit me, because I found myself sprawled and wheezing in the dirt. Everything went dark, but there was a glint of gold somewhere in front of me. My eyes refocused to see Reyna leaping in the air, eclipsing the sun, her gladius illuminating her form.

She came crashing down over my body, her blade piercing the ground beside my head and came so close that I could feel its presence, its gravity almost caressing my ear. I slowly turned to see sheer terror in my eyes.

Reyna straightened. She blew away a strand of hair from her eyes.

"I win."

* * *

"She was insane."

"She was incredible."

"She could have killed you!"

"Which is why she's incredible," I repeated, pulling on a toga.

Octavian shook his head. "Look, I know you have a thing for girls who can kick your ass – no, don't deny it, we both know I'm right – but that girl is out of her mind. Alex is right!"

"I don't know," Felix shrugged, his toga looking more like curtains, the way it draped off his shoulders. "She seemed pretty in control."

"In control? She almost cut his head off!"

"But she didn't," I said. "Relax, dude. She knew what she was doing. If I seriously thought she was going to kill me, I would have at least dodged out of the way."

"She knocked you on your ass, Percy. Jules could wheel down from his office and run you over, and you would've barely noticed."

"Now that's just mean," Felix winced.

"Oh, you know it's true. Admit it!"

Octavian was right, of course. Reyna had me dead to rights, but I'll be damned if I let Octavian know that.

A few hours had passed after my showdown with Reyna in the pits. During that time, I'd somehow been applauded, laughed at, cared for, and dismissed, all without me fully aware. The battle high from the duel was only starting to wash off when the boys and I went into the bathroom to change. Even now I could still feel a slight buzz in my ears.

Reyna would've been showered with praise if people weren't intimidated by her. Dakota said that he would've charged her for excessive force if she'd been fighting anyone other than me. The compliment was nice, but I couldn't help feeling envy brew inside me like curdling milk. Nobody's ever said that to me.

Still, I couldn't really be upset over the loss. Reyna crushed me despite my best efforts. She deserved the win.

"Come on, let's get out of here," I said to the two bickering cousins. "We'll be late. The others are waiting on us."

"So eager to meet her again?" Felix asked me with a broad smile. Octavian grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Eager not to let her beat my ass again, more like. I don't see her that way, guys."

"Sure you don't," Octavian said.

"I'm sure."

"Let's see what she has to say," Felix said, exiting the room. We followed his lead.

"What, you're just going to ask her?" I said, alarmed.

"No, of course not. Did she hit you so hard you forgot what sarcasm is?"

"It's just hard to tell if you're joking, being as dumb as you are."

The conversation continued like that all the way to the via praetoria. We passed by the entire legion dressed in similar fashion for the assembly in the senate house. Nobody used to show up for them, but Jules made attendance compulsory in an attempt to improve transparency. It sort of worked. I now know that a group of people can talk for hours and yet not say anything.

We spotted the girls waiting at the cobblestone path. I was surprised to see Alex chatting with both Vanessa and Reyna. I guess they did have something in common after all.

"There they are," Vanessa scowled. "Finally. What took you so long?"

"Calm down, mom, we're not that late," Octavian said.

The five of us – six now, with Reyna – walked together to New Rome like so many other demigods. For a moment I pictured us walking down the streets of Manhattan, riding the subway, going to school, or just hanging out. It almost felt possible.

"Are you okay?" someone asked. I snapped out of my daydream when Alex shook my shoulder. I had lagged behind the others until I was walking beside Reyna, who insisted on bringing up the rear.

"You didn't get hit that hard, did you?"

"Why do people keep saying that?" I asked, exasperated.

"Because you should've seen your face after Reyna headbutted you," she grinned. "You looked like you just woke up in class."

"That bad?"

"Worse," Reyna said. A small smile tugged at her mouth. "Even I still feel a little dizzy."

"Not worse than me, though."

"Congratulations, you're thick-skulled."

I grinned, and after a moment, Alex did too. Everything seemed right. Then I frowned. My head did hurt like hell, but only before I was given any medical attention.

"Wait, you weren't given any nectar or ambrosia?" I demanded. Reyna shook her head.

"I don't want to depend on them," she explained.

"You'd rather hurt yourself?"

"I'd forget the pain," she replied. "It's a reminder."

"That you shouldn't beat me up?"

"That I need to get better."

"You were plenty good out there," Alex said. Reyna shook her head again, her braid swaying side to side.

"Obviously not good enough. I had to hurt myself to barely get a win."

She really was a type A personality. It was a crude way of motivation, however, and I told her. Reyna just shrugged.

"There are actual monsters in the world. Not forcing myself to improve is pretty much a death sentence."

This time, even Alex nodded in approval. She of all people would sympathize. Years ago, when she'd been nothing more than a delinquent orphan, Alex snuck into the Garden of the Hesperides to piss of her dad. Mercury ended up having to save her from the Garden's guardian Ladon and yet failed to show any affection whatsoever. She still held a grudge.

"You're right," I said to Reyna. "If I were being honest, you have some room for improvement, especially against spears."

Reyna frowned, and Alex shot me a glare to get me to stop talking. I kept talking.

"I think I'm the better swordsman." Alex opened her mouth to shut me up, but I continued. "But you're the better fighter."

Reyna seemed slightly mollified, but her frown remained.

"Especially that berserker rage you got going on. Where did that come from?" I asked.

"Something I picked up along the way," she said. Even after a compliment I couldn't catch her tripping. Worth a shot, at least.

"Well, whatever it was, I want to see it again," Alex cut in. "Promise me that the next time we spar, you'll take me on? Despite what Percy says, you're far better than any of the boys."

Reyna blinked, her anger forgotten, overridden by the fact that someone who had hated her so much just gave her a compliment.

"Sure," she said, with what was possibly the first genuine smile I'd seen on her face. The girls chatted away, discussing the best way of killing a man while I smiled internally. It finally felt like a family again.

The conversation made the trip to the senate house breeze past. Terminus appeared several times to frisk some careless legionaries crossing the Pomerian line but left us undisturbed. We streamed inside the huge building along with what felt like the entire Twelfth Legion. It probably was, now that I think about it, apart from those unlucky bastards who had sentry duty today.

Demigods and legacies of all ages and cohorts filled the rows upon rows of seats. The building was shaped like an amphitheater, with bleachers arrayed in tiered rings around a semicircular stage that held the praetors and senators. There were no microphones or speakers to be found. In fact, short of a few lightbulbs, the place was devoid of technology. Only temples were treated with the same level of reverence. For Romans, debate and rhetoric were almost as holy as the Olympians.

The place was almost full. Even the senators had arrived on time. At least one of them would usually be fashionably late and make a dramatic entrance, though whatever the subject of tonight's assembly, it was apparently more important than personal gain. The fact that they were fidgeting and whispering to each other were even more concerning. The legionaries have noticed their discomfort and the whispers continued to the very top of the seats, which were thankfully still empty.

People stared at me while we passed. The rumors of my sparring session with Reyna must have spread like wildfire. I guess it was no wonder, since –

"Don't worry," Vanessa whispered to Reyna, who fumbled her way up the stairs. "You'll get used to the stares."

I blinked. She was right – they were staring at Reyna, not me. Oh. That made sense. The new arrival in camp made more stirrings by the day, after all. Then why did it hurt so much?

"Vanessa doesn't know what she's talking about," Octavian cut in. "She's never had people admire her that much. Ow!" His jibe was cut short as he rubbed his arm where Vanessa had punched him.

Octavian was right too. A lot of guys and quite a few girls were staring at Reyna with extra interest.

Most of them looked away when we reached the back row and left their sight. The first time I'd been here as a viewer, I wondered how we could hear the speakers without them shouting. Vanessa had taken the opportunity to give a lecture that was somehow more boring than the debate, gushing about how the architecture was designed to bounce sound all over the building like a natural amplifier.

My friends crashed down on the uncomfortable seats while Reyna settled herself slowly, eyeing the crowd suspiciously. Her back never quite reclined, and her hand was never far from her pocket. I followed her gaze and found that Lares had drifted in the building to mingle with the crowd. I touched her hand to catch her attention. She almost jumped to her feet.

"Whoa, slow down," I said, holding up both hands. "You're going to have to promise me that you won't try to kill any more Lares, alright? Not everybody here is as forgiving as we are."

"I'll try not to," she mumbled. She had the grace to at least lean back – though her hands were restless. Reyna took a seat at the corner of the building, next to Felix; then came Alex, Vanessa, me, and Octavian.

Then the room fell silent. The only sound was that of rubber moving against wood. Sure enough, the man of the hour had arrived. Jules rolled onto the stage off a low-angled ramp. He moved on his own, pushing the wheels with his burly arms and looking as regal as he always did even with his cape draped on the back of his wheelchair. In fact, he looked even better. The praetor was seated and relaxed while the legion held its breath.

"Ave!" he cried out.

"Ave," we repeated, voices overlapping to rumble in the building.

"Good evening, Romans, and thank you for gathering today. I understand that it is unusual to muster the entire legion in the senate house so often, but this discussion cannot be postponed."

The crowd murmured and silenced itself under Jules's gaze.

"I know that many of you think me weak and the legion fragile. I know many believe that I have failed Rome, failed the legion, failed you all, after the disaster in last year's tournament," Jules continued.

"He really doesn't mince words, does he?" Octavian mumbled beside me.

"Whatever you think of me, I was and still am the more powerful praetor and the better leader. I survived, and so will we all."

More murmurs, these ones sounding more approving. It was always reassuring to hear your leader sound strong. Yet it hadn't been very long ago that Marcus had stood with Jules as a friend and fellow praetor. Had we forgotten so quickly?

"Most of you also know that I have been sending senior legionaries outside the camp to gather information. They have done so admirably. It is thanks to them and their sacrifices that I can deliver the news I carry today."

He paused for effect. Or maybe braced for it.

"The rumors are true. Saturn is rising and raises an army with him."

_We know that, _I thought dismissively.

"It will arrive in camp within the week."

_Oh. _

Every soul in the building, living and dead, spoke at the same time.

"Ridiculous!"

"This is your fault!"

"What're we going to do?"

Something hard slammed into the wood. Hundreds of legionaries gaped with me as Jules sat with a golden spear in his hand. His expression hadn't changed yet looked even more somber.

"Weapons in the senate house?" somebody muttered. I nodded along in shock. You don't bring weapons in New Rome, and certainly not in the senate house, where people fought with words. It was supposed to be the one place where people could speak their mind without fear of getting hurt.

"War is upon us," Jules said calmly. "As of this moment, Camp Jupiter is a battlefield. We need to treat it like one before they force us to do so. Saturn is assembling his army as we speak, but fortunately it's not complete. More and more monsters rally to his call, and it is thanks to the efforts of our saboteurs that he isn't attacking already."

"Who's leading them?" Octavian called out beside me. "Saturn's not fully back, right?"

"No," Jules confirmed. Legionaries visibly relaxed in their seats.

"But his brethren have: The Titan Lords of the East, North, West, and South have awakened."

Most people just looked to each other, shrugging and muttering. The older legionaries traded dark looks. I was lost.

"Huh?"

"The most powerful Titans," Octavian whispered. "After Saturn himself, of course. It makes sense for them to awaken first. They were strong, but the gods didn't take the precaution of chopping them into pieces."

"Who's the strongest?" I asked him.

"Hyperion. Well, I guess he's third strongest. But I doubt the second will join this fight."

"Why?"

"Because he's holding up the sky."

"Our scouts report that Koios has not taken sides," Jules declared. "But the other three have joined Saturn. We can expect at least one of them to lead this army. Krios is the most likely possibility."

This time, the legion didn't even know how to respond. We just sat there, despondent.

"I am telling you this because you deserve to know. Some believe that it will incite panic – " here he glared at the senators – "but if I don't treat you like warriors, I can't expect you to fight like one. We're going to need each other now more than ever. Take your practice seriously. It will save your life, and the lives of everyone in New Rome and the rest of the world. The burden we bear is impossible, but we will bear it together."

Jules eyed his audience, as if daring us to challenge him.

"All extracurricular activities are suspended. Tomorrow, your centurions will give you your assignments. Some will build siege weapons. Some will dig trenches. All will assemble in the Fields of Mars to begin legionary training as a legion, reinforced by veterans in New Rome. Sleep well, friends. You will need it. Senatus Populusque Romanus!"

"Senatus Populusque Romanus!" came the ragged reply. The salute broke devolved into worried and excited whispers as the audience began to trickle out of the senate house. My friends were talking among themselves, but my eyes were on Jules. I tried to see him as the brilliant general he strived to be and not the crippled teenager he was.


	4. Chapter 4

I rarely had peaceful and dreamless sleep these days. Fortunately, today was one of them. Naturally, it was ruined.

"Percy." Someone shook me.

My eyes fluttered open as I groaned awake. I saw a mess of blond hair before refocusing on the concerned blue eyes below them. I ignored whatever it was he was saying to pull out my phone and check the time, squinting at the blaring light. Three in the morning.

"What the hell?" I tried to yell, my voice barely audible instead.

"I need to talk to you," Octavian whispered. "It's important." I shooed him away while I slowly came into consciousness. It was difficult to tell in the darkness, but I thought I could see three figures lying in bunk beds on the wall opposite me, and judging by the loud snoring, Felix was still asleep too.

"What's going on?" I mumbled, trying to say the whole sentence as a single word.

"It's – it's hard to explain," Octavian stuttered.

"You cannot be serious," I growled.

"Okay, fine. I've been having these dreams lately, and they've been… disturbing."

"You woke me up to talk about scary dreams?"

"It's more than that," Octavian insisted. Despite my snide tone he didn't even try to come up with a clever reply. Instead he looked embarrassed, maybe even bashful.

"They're not scary because I see monsters or whatever. Well, I do sometimes, but – "

"Octavian."

"Right, right. They're scary because they're real." He paused his tirade and peered at me, hoping to get some sort of reaction.

"Your dreams are real," I said flatly.

"Not exactly. They – they _become _real. Percy, I think I've been seeing the future."

I plopped my head back on my pillow. It was thin and hard, but I've used it so many times I barely noticed anymore.

"So that one time you told me not to leave the barracks because there was a storm coming," I said slowly, "you got a vision for that?"

"No, you just looked like an idiot that day. I didn't want people to associate me with someone who wears tie-dye unironically."

"How bout that time when I wanted to go check on the Invictus and you convinced me not to? Did you know there was going to be an accident in the workshop that day?"

"Well, no. To be honest, it was too soon after the tournament, and I couldn't bring myself to look at it without… remembering."

"So how do you know they're not just coincidences?" I asked the million-dollar question. I've heard stories, of course, about augurs – people gifted with foresight, granted visions as they made sacrifices over braziers. The fact that we haven't had one for years just made the stories more popular. In the past, some campers had mistakenly thought they were augurs and continued to rely on their visions a little too much, before realizing that feeling déjà vu a couple times does not make you a seer.

"Because I'm a descendant of Apollo," Octavian said automatically. He must've practiced this argument in his head. He always did. And like always, it was compelling: being the god of prophecies, it was hard to imagine someone other than his children being augurs.

"But augury isn't supposed to work like that," I said.

"True. That crossed my mind, and I tried to forget about the dreams, but they just became more vivid. And I figure – well, how else are augurs discovered? It's not like they had every legionary read entrails to see if they could predict the future. They must be given signs first."

Unfortunately, that made a lot of sense as well. It all boiled down to one question, though.

"Have you seen something that came true?" I asked him levelly.

"I – I think so. I had a dream, of a powerful warrior arriving into camp, shining golden but with darkness at its center. The warrior crossed the Tiber and cast its light over the entire valley, then expanded even further beyond the ridge," Octavian said. He said the words in a feverish chant. The trademark crazy look in his eyes grew even more intense.

"Okay," I said uncertainly. "I don't think any of that's happened."

"After yesterday? I'm sure it has."

"What happened yesterday?"

"You got destroyed in a duel."

"This again?"

"Percy, I had the dream the night before Reyna arrived."

My blood ran cold. But no, that didn't make sense.

"That still doesn't make sense," I spoke my mind. "Aren't auguries supposed to be more specific, and you know, helpful?"

"They are. But like you said yourself, this wasn't an augury. It was a vision."

I rubbed my temples. This was making my head hurt.

"So, you think this great warrior is Reyna?" I asked him. I couldn't keep the skepticism out of my voice. I wanted to believe my friend, I really did – he'd been waiting for something like this his whole life. A chance to distinguish himself, to be more than an unwanted legacy. But as good as Reyna is, I didn't see her glowing with golden light either.

"Yeah. Until the meeting in the senate house." Octavian leaned in closer. It was rare to see fear in his eyes. He looked terrified right now.

"What if it was Krios? Or even worse, Saturn himself?"

I didn't even think about that. Damn it, why did Octavian have to be so right all the time?

"Okay," I admitted. "That's a possibility. Let's go back to sleep, then tomorrow we can go to the Temple of Jupiter and – "

"No," he snapped. I raised my eyebrows.

"Why not?"

"Because… we don't know if works or not. I'm not completely sure if it was a real vision or just a weird dream."

"You seemed pretty convinced a second ago."

"Well…"

Octavian was standing head and shoulders above my bed. He must've been standing on the bottom bunk. His hands had been gripping my bunk, but now they were clasped together, rubbing over themselves. With his back hunched forward like that Octavian looked like a cartoon villain making evil plans. I knew him well enough by now to know he wasn't really thinking: he'd have thought up everything long before bringing it up to anyone, even me. He just didn't like the conclusions he'd drawn.

"You're afraid," I whispered. He averted his eyes. Octavian wanted a chance to rise above and be praetor himself – and I think he had a fair chance – but he never felt like he'd accomplished anything. Despite all his achievements in school, he felt like he hadn't really taken risks or put himself out there. Part of the reason why he forgave me for the tournament loss was because he blamed himself. Octavian was so scared of failure he didn't even want to try.

"It's fine," I said in what was hopefully a reassuring voice, "it's going to be fine. What's the worst that can happen? People already think we're losers. Nobody needs to know. But if you're right, then everyone will. Forever."

The hunger returned in his eyes. Good. It was a much better fit.

"Thanks, Percy. I'll – I'll try to do it. Tomorrow," he said.

"Tomorrow," I said. Octavian flashed a grin.

"But you still haven't explained one thing, Mr. Augur. Why the hell did you have to wake me up in the middle of the night?"

"Oh, right. I had another vision."

Somebody knocked on the door. Octavian jumped, forgetting that he was standing on a bunk bed, and crashed to the floor. The racket stirred the figures at the top and middle bunks opposite me. Felix didn't stop snoring. In fact, he only got louder.

Reyna hopped off the top bunk and landed gracefully on the floor, crouched low, eyes alert and darting. She was holding something – was that her knife?

Vanessa had the much less disturbing reaction of yawning loudly and demanding, "What's going on?"

Alex stirred. Octavian and I traded glances before I jumped off my bed. I motioned at Reyna to stand down as I made my way to the door.

"Who's there?" I whispered.

"Percy?" the knocker said. I instantly recognized it – more from the way the words were slurred than the actual voice.

"You're still awake?" Dakota asked from behind the door.

"Yeah. Trouble sleeping," I said. He chuckled at that.

"Welcome to the club. Mind opening the door?"

I looked back to the others. Octavian was on his feet. Vanessa and Alex were sitting up in bed. Felix was blinking the sleep from his eyes. Reyna edged closer, her knife at the ready.

"Put that down," I hissed. "It's just Dakota."

I opened the door. Sure enough, it was our centurion.

He looked exactly like he did the morning: somehow bedraggled and hyperactive at the same time. Strangely he was dressed like he was going out – purple t-shirt with navy jeans. Dakota looked over my shoulder at the small bunch behind me.

"Oh – sorry, didn't mean to wake you all up," he said, grinning.

"It's fine," Octavian said hurriedly. "What's going on? Are we in trouble?"

"No, no," Dakota said, hands raised placatingly. "Not really. Go ahead and get dressed. I'm supposed to take you to the principia right away. Jules is waiting for you."

My stomach churned. "Jules wants us? What for?"

"Well, he didn't mention all of you, actually. But now that you're all up – well the more the merrier, right?" He gave us a thumbs-up and turned to leave the barracks.

"I'll be waiting outside," he called out on his way. "It's actually sort of nice."

I closed the door slowly. My friends looked even more confused.

"Is this normal?" Reyna broke the silence.

"Getting called out by the praetor in the middle of the night?" Alex snorted. "Hell no. But ignoring it is even worse. Let's get going."

We threw on some clothes wordlessly. Octavian and I woke Felix by dragging him off his bed. A few moments later we threw on an assortment of windbreakers, joggers, sweats, and tank tops before leaving the barracks.

Dakota was right. Camp Jupiter at night was serene. Soothing, even. The emptiness was such a contrast with the usual bustling mornings. It was a nice change of pace. Where there would be legionaries rushing every which way, soft breezes wafted through the air. It felt more like a splash of cold water than a gust of air.

It also made the journey feel much shorter. The principia seemed unoccupied, but it was bright inside. It was eerie in its silence. The bank aesthetic reminded me more of a tomb now.

Dakota knocked on the door leading to Jules's office. I could hear terse discussion from behind, though I couldn't pick out the words.

"Come in," somebody said. I wasn't even sure if it was Jules.

Dakota obliged, swinging the door wide open. It was the strangest group of people I'd ever seen. There was nothing wrong with them; what was strange was seeing this combination of people.

We tend to hang out with our roommates, or at least with people from our own cohorts. Integrating all five together was a pipe dream that resulted in a confusing mess, so instead of having lots of weak bonds, some past praetor decided to focus on fewer, stronger bonds. I've seen most of the people in the room, but never together.

There was a huge Asian guy with arms like cannons who was in the Second Cohort. A knot of some of the more respectable senators talked amongst themselves. What must have been a delegation from the legion veterans, since they were much older than even Jules, discussed something under their breath, looking like they were trying not to fall asleep. A small girl with dark skin who I've never seen before sulked in the corner. Several demigods my age from other cohorts stood around uncomfortably. The majority, however, were senior legionaries. I spotted some of the people we passed by the day of Reyna's arrival. Quite a few weirdos among them as well.

Jules himself was at his table, an enormous ledger opened in front of him and a senator at his shoulder. The senator ran a finger down the pages while Jules leaned back, face clouded in a frown.

"And next, we have… Zhang, Emily. Left the legion years ago and moved to Canada," the senator said.

"Where is she now?" Jules asked. His voice was shockingly weak, like a man in hospice.

"Killed in action. Afghanistan."

"Any family?"

"She left behind a son. Too young to begin training. I doubt he even knows the truth."

"Another one off the list," Jules sighed. I'd never heard him so defeated. My friends and I arrayed ourselves towards the back of our room as Dakota left to chat with his friends.

"Next?"

"It's the end of the list, Jules."

"Okay. Get the next ledger."

"Jules, it's the end of the list. There are no more ledgers," the senator said uncertainly.

Jules cursed and pressed a fist against his mouth, frown deepening.

"Okay, what about… that wandering swordsman. The one with a tattoo on his neck? Quintus?"

"He comes and goes. Nobody's been able to reach him."

"Try him anyway," Jules growled. The senator nodded obligingly, as if to humor him.

"With respect," one of the chatting senators spoke up, "what difference will one man make?"

"Quintus was the best swordsman I ever met. Sometimes I don't think he's even human. We're going to need fighters like that," Jules said. The senator nodded slowly, then went back to talking with her friends in lower voices.

"We'll have to consult the stories again," Jules muttered. "Find surviving heroes. Where is Spartacus these days?"

"Isn't Spartacus dead?" I whispered to Octavian as the senator gave Jules a million reasons convincing him that communication was impossible, each more reasonable than the one before.

"Officially," Octavian whispered back. "His body was never found. We've been saying he's dead to preserve our reputation but technically he's just missing."

"Try anyway," Jules snapped. The senator hesitated before nodding.

"Alright. I have a few ideas."

"Good. Thank you, Eric." He slunk back to talk to the Asian guy, who had to lean down to hear his whispers.

Jules tapped his hand against the table. Everyone stopped whatever it was they were doing and jumped to attention. We'd all come here for one reason.

"Thank you all for coming," Jules started. "I know it's late, but – "he froze when he saw us.

"What're they doing here?" he demanded, looking at the senior legionaries. Dakota stepped forward with his vampire grin.

"You asked me to bring them, Jules."

"No, Dakota, I _told _you to just bring – "Jules closed his eyes and sighed. "Never mind. We'll talk about this later."

Dakota nodded amicably and went back to his friends, who were trying not to look too embarrassed. The senators didn't laugh, at least, but they didn't even try to conceal their pitying smiles. Somehow that was even worse.

"It's late, but this is urgent. I couldn't bring it up in the senate house with the whole legion watching. This meeting never happened," Jules said with practiced ease. One of the senators even pulled out some snacks. They'd done this before. So much for transparency, I guess.

"But we're missing our most important guest. Terminus?" Jules called out. For the first time in my life, I saw Terminus in Camp Jupiter as he exploded in existence. He always claimed that he could leave his post at any time and only stayed to make sure we didn't kill anyone in the city, but I never took him seriously.

Terminus shrunk down to fit inside the room, though he retained his warlike form and his head brushed the ceiling. It struck me how human he looked as he floated next to Jules.

"Evening, legionaries," Terminus rumbled. It was rare to hear him talk so seriously. For some reason, only now did I take the meeting seriously.

"I told the truth in the assembly," Jules continued, "but not everything. For one, we know for sure that Krios is personally leading the army."

Everyone but the senators shifted uncomfortably.

"The good news is that since Saturn hasn't even fully risen, this might not be a serious attempt at destroying us. The bad news is that if that's true, and this force is just the vanguard, then their true army must be absolutely enormous. I'm not a pessimist," he added after looking at our worried expressions.

"I'm being honest. It's not a lost cause. We're hopelessly outnumbered if they sent their real horde, but we stand a chance of winning this fight. Given time and reinforcements, we might even destroy their main army."

"Then what's the problem?" the Asian guy asked. He had a surprisingly bright voice, like a trained singer.

"I've drawn up some plans already," Jules explained. "None of them guaranteed to work. But it won't mean anything unless we remove their leaders."

He paused for a moment for his words to sink in. I heard what he said – I just didn't want to believe the implications.

"We need Titan killers," Jules clarified. More knowing looks were thrown all over the room.

"Why?" Alex piped up. "Aren't they just more powerful monsters? Shouldn't they die if we hit them with Imperial gold?"

"In theory. But these are creatures that stood toe-to-toe with the Olympians at the height of their power. With that rationale, it would be just as easy to kill a god, and we know that isn't likely," Jules said. He almost recited the words; it must have crossed his mind in the past.

Alex nodded, leaning back thoughtfully.

"That's where Terminus comes in," Jules said. "He's our best source of information."

"No offense," a senior legionary said, "but is he the most reliable? I've personally seen a few gods visit Mount Othrys. He said it himself: a lot of the minor gods are changing sides."

"First off, I'm still in the room," Terminus growled. "Second, if you imply that I'm a minor god one more time, I will disintegrate you. Third, I might disintegrate you anyway for being disrespectful. How dare you accuse me of being a traitor?"

"If you kill me, you'd prove me right," she responded, managing to look bored after receiving a death threat from a god.

"Well said," Terminus grunted with approval. "I understand how you must feel. I've honestly thought about it myself. But I've been protecting this camp for so long, I feel more like a legionary than a god. You treat me far better than the Olympians do, and certainly better than the mortals. The other gods can't say the same. So, don't fret. My loyalty is to Rome, as it has been for millennia."

I got goosebumps from Terminus's words, and even a small mote of hope. We had a god on our side, even if he didn't have arms.

"Thank you, Terminus," Jules said, smiling. It's been weeks since he'd shown that much emotion. "You have the room."

Terminus nodded, opened his mouth, and paused.

"Before I begin, I feel obligated to repeat Jules's caution. You are not to share the secrets I am about to share. Most of it may be no more than whispers and hearsay, but I will take no chances. If it can kill a Titan, it can kill a god. We might be enemies now, but some of those gods are my friends. Do you understand me?"

Terminus looked at each of us in the eye until we all nodded. Even then he seemed to be having second thoughts. Eventually he drew in a breath and began.

"For the record," he said slowly, "Imperial gold should be able to kill a Titan. But you need to hurt them many, many times. If it comes down to it, arm our best fighters and overwhelm Krios. That should be enough."

Jules nodded. I tried not to imagine how easy it would be for a Titan to kill demigods in close combat.

"Outright killing a Titan may be impossible, but incapacitating one is not. The gaze of Medusa should be able to turn anything to stone. I've never heard anyone say that it doesn't include Titans."

"So, what, we should just invite her to join the legion?" someone scoffed. One of the legionaries my age. I think he was one of the charioteers in the tournament last year.

"It should still work after removing her head," Terminus stated. Jules eyed the senior legionaries. A few of them nodded slowly.

"Gorgon's blood grants an excruciating death for mortals. Perhaps it will have a similar effect. Water from the river Lethe will wipe away any creature's memory. We could even convince Krios that he's on our side."

"That's great," Felix said. "Where is it?"

"In the Underworld." Hollow chuckles filled the room.

"Right. Well, um. The skin of the Nemean lion should stop any blow. The curse of Achilles offers even more protection. Anyone who has either can fight a Titan on even terms – not accounting for their magic and incredible strength and resilience, of course. Slaying the Ophiotaurus and burning its entrails can bring down the gods, though that's never actually happened, so we have no idea what it'll do. Transfiguration might work. They can be rendered harmless when polymorphed into a pigeon or a tree or something. But that requires powerful magic, something that only witches of Circe's caliber can even dream to accomplish, or the combined magic of many lesser creatures."

That was a horrible list. More and more people lost hope, eyes downcast, as Terminus went on. For some reason though, Reyna only reacted towards the end.

"And… yeah. I believe that's it. Well, I guess you could trap a Titan under the weight of the sky, but then we'd have to deal with Atlas, and nobody wants that, right?" Terminus laughed nervously. Nobody joined in.

"Alright. Even I have to admit, Terminus, those options seem… risky," Jules managed.

"No, they're ridiculous. I mean, come on. We're talking about killing Titans, after all. If it were easy the gods would have done it already. Our only advantage is the fact that they're weaker nowadays. They used to crush mountains for sport. Back then, the only thing you could do was hope that Jupiter is close by," Terminus said.

"Are those our only choices?" Jules asked.

"Well… technically not, but…"

Terminus shuddered. Whatever he was thinking, it was enough to make him nervous.

"Terminus," Jules prompted. "We're counting on you."

The god closed his eyes and nodded.

"I suppose," he said, "we can give them a bigger threat. Have them fight something even scarier, then deal with the survivor after they're weakened."

"A bigger threat than the Titans?" Octavian asked, frowning.

"Typhon the storm giant is one such creature, though I doubt he'd be on our side. Echidna, mother of monsters, can maybe do it, given time. If we had some charmspeak, we could convince them to fight each other. And…"

Terminus looked downright disgusted now, horrified for even considering what he was about to suggest. When he did speak, it was slow, the words choked out.

"There are other creatures. Buried deep under the earth, the Underworld, and the sea, where Jupiter can't see them. The gods like to pretend that it's because they are no longer threats. They won't admit that they're terrified."

He had to take another breath before continuing.

"Under the earth… no. I refuse to even say her name. Below the Underworld, the primordial deities still live. Tartarus. Nyx. Erebos. Just one of them could remake the world. And under the sea… Trygon. Uranus himself feared him enough to place him where only the most powerful sea gods can go. I think even Neptune avoids him, so he won't be of any help. But luckily, we have someone who might."

I stared at the ground the instant my dad's name was mentioned. Now, I felt the gaze of at least twenty people and one god. It was all I could do to avoid squirming.

"Well, that was certainly educational," Jules said acidly. "But we need to be realistic. Killing Medusa is hard enough. Awakening the personification of Tartarus? Yeah, no. Let's stay on topic."

He said the words in a lecturing voice. Patronizing, almost. A few of us laughed. I must be spending too much time with Octavian, though, because I caught the ulterior motive almost immediately. Jules wasn't as subtle as my friend, but I knew enough double-speak to know he was defusing the tension.

Jules was considering every option. He didn't want us to know he was that desperate.

"We can send teams out," Dakota offered. "Medusa seems like a pretty good idea. I've met a couple weirdos who claim that they can take people to the Underworld, too, if you want to go that route."

"Excellent. How long do you need?" Jules asked.

"There and back again? Ten days if I'm being realistic," Dakota shrugged. Jules pursed his lips.

"Quests like this always go wrong. We're going to have to find Medusa before we kill her. Going to the Underworld might take even longer," Dakota explained

I had trouble keeping up with the conversation. How could they talk about going to the Underworld so nonchalantly? They might as well be talking about going to a Walmart.

"Too long," Jules murmured, and leaned back on his wheelchair. "We need something solid. Gods, I wish we had an augur. Maybe then we could actually prepare for our suicide missions."

I couldn't resist glancing at Octavian. He hid his reaction well.

"So, what? The Nemean lion?" one of the younger guys said.

"It wanders," replied a veteran absentmindedly. "Harder to track."

"Circe?"

"Good luck convincing her. Her father's a Titan."

The conversation continued like that for a while. Ideas were brought up and shot down every few seconds. They got increasingly far-fetched while tempers got shorter.

"Are we not going to do anything with Terminus's information?" Alex demanded.

"Kid, we've been doing this for years," a senior legionary said. "Without proper research or a prophecy to guide a quest, locating a specific creature in the US is almost impossible. And that's assuming we can kill whatever we're hunting."

"Great," huffed a senator. "The information is useless."

"It's not," Octavian said. "We just need more time."

"Time that we don't have," sighed a veteran. "I'm telling you, praetor. Devoting resources to prepare the legion is the best course of action."

"We need to gamble on an expedition," Dakota insisted.

"No, we need to go on the offensive. Element of surprise," someone else argued.

"Suicide."

"Better than dying to Medusa."

"At least that way, only a few people would die."

"The few people who matter! You guys might be the only ones in the legion who can kill Krios!"

"Not without help!"

The discussion devolved into a shouting match. Each faction brought something to the argument that was frustratingly reasonable yet remained just outside the realm of possibility. I looked to my friends for support and saw that they had joined the fight as well. With nowhere else to turn to, I stared at the ceiling, hoping for it to finish quickly.

_Gods, I hate all this talking, _I thought. _I just want to fight monsters, the sooner the better. All I can do now is try to avoid squabbling like… like…_

And it hit me. It was right there. The answer, above our heads, reminding me of a strange dream I had of two strange men.

"What we need," I exclaimed, "is leadership." Everyone fell silent as they followed my gaze.

"We need help," I said. "We need reinforcements. We need someone who can fight a Titan. We need heroes. Why not the very first?"

The mural on the principia filled the entire building. From Jules's office we could only see a part of it. Fortunately, it was the only part that was relevant. Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome, peeked over the edge of the wall as they nestled next to Lupa.

"You want to find Romulus," a senator said flatly.

It was a ridiculous notion. There's a reason why nobody knows where he is. No legionary had ever been arrogant or desperate enough to seek out the first king. And yet… the dream I had nagged me. I was able to store it at the back of my mind yesterday and ignore it, but now I was certain. This was it. This is what I had to do.

"Yes," I breathed.

"Preposterous. We don't know where he is. We don't even know if he's alive."

"He's alive," Terminus said firmly. "If he'd died, Lupa would have gone on about it forever. And I've never seen him on Olympus either, so Jupiter didn't make him a god. Wherever he is, it's in the mortal world."

"It's the same as trying to find Medusa though, isn't it?" Dakota said, scratching his head. "We don't know where to start."

"We do," Octavian said slowly. "His mother is right here in California." All eyes turned to the mural of Lupa once more. Silence resounded for a while as we waited for someone to bring down the idea. When nobody did, all eyes went to Jules instead.

I'm positive now. He had somehow wilted some time between the assembly and now. How did that happen? Either he did something to almost completely drain his energy within several hours, or… or he did something to amplify it last night.

_The blessing of Mars, _I realized. Had he been tapping into it each time he went outside?

"It's possible," he said slowly. "Alright. Dakota, who do you need?"

Before Dakota could speak up, Octavian surprised everyone and stepped forward.

"If I may, praetor," he said. "I'd like to volunteer for the quest."

That took me by surprise. Most people seemed to have forgotten that he was even in the room. Mild irritation creased Jules's face.

"Why would I do that?" he intoned. There was no venom in his voice, as if he was genuinely curious why Octavian had the audacity to interrupt the meeting.

"You said it yourself. The senior legionaries are too important to use in an expedition that could lead nowhere. Not only are they our most realistic chance of fighting Krios, they're also our commanders. Training won't be the same without them. And with people already disappearing, the last thing we want is the legion thinking our centurions have gone to the other side."

Octavian paused his speech as people tried and failed to deny his points. He seemed in control, but the steady, fluid stream of words pouring out of his mouth told me that he was improvising everything. Given time, he'd add all kinds of rhetorical questions and persuasive examples to make his words stick.

"I'll be frank, Octavian. I don't think you're good enough," Jules said. "This isn't a jab to you personally or to the Fifth Cohort. But you're a second year legionary who has displayed no outstanding talents outside of a debate. It hasn't even been a full year since you were made a full member."

The room muttered in agreement. Instead of stepping back, red-faced and determined never to show his face in public as I would have done, Octavian pounced on the opportunity.

"That means I'm expendable," Octavian countered. "If I fail, it's no great loss to the legion. If I succeed, not only do we bring back the king, but everyone will know that even someone like me can do the impossible."

Jules narrowed his eyes, to focus more than to intimidate. I bit my lip to stop myself from grinning like an idiot. Leave it Octavian to turn a weakness into a strength.

"And I wouldn't go alone," Octavian added. "It's impossible to do it solo. With your approval, I'd like to bring my fellow legionaries with me," he said, waving his hand towards the rest of us.

"No," said Jules, Dakota, and – surprisingly – Felix, all at the same time.

"Vanessa has to stay," Dakota stated. "We've all seen that chariot of hers in action. We need someone like that to help make defenses."

"I can't go," Felix said. I stared at him, and I wasn't the only one. Some were inscrutable. Some did so with upturned noses. If it bothered Felix, he didn't show it.

"I have a family here," he said firmly. "A little sister. I need to be here when the monsters come. Even if the quest saves everyone in the end, I can't leave them. I'm sorry, Octavian. I'm staying."

"We're working with limited supplies," Jules said. "These monsters are coordinated. They've been attacking our supply lines, another thing I couldn't mention to avoid panic. I'm operating under the assumption that we won't receive any more food, weapons, or equipment. Three people can go. No more."

"Can't you stretch that to four?" I demanded.

"That _was _a stretch, Percy," Jules replied tiredly. "Two is the most I'm comfortable with." He regarded Octavian coolly.

"I'm putting you in charge. Percy might have given the idea, but you're the reason why I'm even considering doing this. I give you the privilege to choose two others."

"Percy," Octavian said immediately. I let myself swell with pride. It vanished when I realized he had to make an impossible choice. All eyes turned to the other two candidates.

Reyna was reserved and expressionless. Everyone knew how good she was by now. She was tough, smart, strong, but the same could be said about Alex. And unlike her, nobody knew anything about Reyna. I'd made some headway, sure, but the fact that her own roommates and sponsor didn't even know how she came to camp… people didn't trust her. I could understand why.

Alex stared at Octavian expectantly, though she kept her face neutral. She was a great fighter in her own crazy style, and more flexible than Reyna. But she was a wild card – Alex had gotten into trouble more times than we could count. Lots of people found her hilarious, but they didn't take her seriously either. I could understand that too.

It all depended on Octavian. I met his eyes, and I knew that he had made his decision before Jules had even asked his question. It was just for Alex's benefit. He truly believed in his vision.

_A warrior of light… with darkness at its center. _

"I choose Reyna," Octavian said. Some people nodded, some shook their head. Reyna's face was as unreadable as ever.

"Very well," Jules said. "I trust your judgment. You know them best. Good luck, Octavian Aelius. You leave immediately."

Even Octavian was taken aback. "I – what?"

"We can't spare any more time," Jules explained. "But you won't go right this second. I'll have to brief all three of you and give you everything we can spare. Everyone else is dismissed," he called out. "Thank you for your time. Senatus Populusque Romanus."

"Senatus Populusque Romanus," they repeated, shuffling out the door. Terminus winked out of existence. Our friends were the last to leave.

Felix moved first. He hugged each of us in turn, taking a few more seconds to whisper into Octavian's ear as they embraced.

"Good luck, all of you," he said. Were those tears in his eyes? Damn it, now I felt my own starting to water. "Not that you need it, of course," Felix added before leaving the room.

Vanessa was next. She held all three of us in a bear hug, to Reyna's surprise. When she tried to give her parting words, she seemed to choke on them before they left her mouth. I nodded in understanding, and she left silently.

Alex looked at us in turn. She simply shook Octavian's hand – she didn't strangle him, at least, but didn't regard him kindly either. She embraced Reyna, surprising her once more, and whispered just loud enough for me to hear: "Take care of them for me, okay? They barely have a single braincell between them."

Finally, Alex turned to me. She put her arms out and we hugged. It was nice. Then she whispered in my ear, low enough that only I could make out the words.

"Don't die, you dumbass."

"I'll do my worst," I grinned, pulling apart. Alex managed to smile at that. She ducked past me and I heard the door shut behind her.

I felt excited – and nervous, obviously. Who wouldn't be? But the way my friends spoke… I couldn't help but feel that they had an air of finality.

We stood before Jules; Octavian to the right, me on the left, Reyna between us. My best friend and quite possibly the most dangerous girl I'd ever met. Between the three of us, we could take over the world. I stood a little straighter.

"It's good to see that there is still some real friendship in the legion," Jules said with a wistful smile. "Enjoy it while it lasts, you three. Now to business."

He leaned forward conspiratorially and steepled his fingers. My skin crawled as he did. There was even more information he was withholding?

"I didn't tell you everything," he begun.

"Why does that not surprise me anymore?" I commented, unable to keep my mouth shut. I saw Octavian purse his lips in the corner of my eye.

"You're not going to get an apology, Percy, because I'm not wrong," Jules replied. "The day you understand that, will be the day that you can be something more than a talented fighter. The others don't need to know this. They're worried enough already. You three, however, cannot walk into this journey blind."

"Lupa has sent her wolves to aid our scouts," he continued. "But they're not the only ones we've spotted. The enemy has wolves of their own, strong and smart enough to contend with Lupa's pack."

Lupa treated her wolves with the same ferocity as all demigods, if not more. I've seen her pack in action firsthand. They were even larger than normal animals, and far, far more intelligent. These weren't ordinary monsters.

"Who's their alpha?" Octavian asked.

"We don't know yet. Only suspicions. But you should get your hands on silvered weapons as soon as possible."

"Where the hell are we supposed to find those?" I demanded.

"I don't know," Jules said honestly. "You're going to have to improvise. Beyond that, standards rules of engagement apply. You are not to harm or involve mortals. The Mist will help, but none of you can manipulate it. Nobody in the legion can. Avoid monsters whenever possible, and always fight on your terms. Retreating is an acceptable tactic, but do not forget that you represent both the legion and the legacy of Rome. Do not tarnish it. Make us proud."

He reached under his desk and pulled out a drawer. After shuffling around a bit, he found what he was looking for and pulled it out. It clinked like a bell.

"Here," he called, tossing it to Octavian. It was a ring of keys.

"Take whatever you need from the armory and workshop, though I recommend you travel light. There should be camping supplies there as well. Then head to the kitchens to get some food. The aurae will know what to give you, as usual. I'll try to dig up some Amex cards. Return here when you're done," Jules instructed. Octavian nodded.

"How will we be traveling?" Reyna asked.

"Whatever's available," Jules shrugged.

"Wait a minute," I said, frowning. "We only have a week, right? What if we don't make it back in time?"

Jules glared at me. "You have to."

"But what if he's in Alaska? Or Hawaii? Or the East Coast? We can get there no problem, but getting back – "

"I DON'T KNOW!" Jules yelled. He slammed his fist on the table and made me jump. "I don't know if this will work. I don't know if we'll survive! I don't know if the legion should have a cripple for praetor. I'm doing the best with what I have, Percy, and I know it's not enough!"

He collapsed back on his wheelchair. For a second the façade faded. His armor cracked, and I saw the terrified, broken man hiding behind it. I wondered if he agreed to my suggestion so readily not because it was the best option for the legion, but because it offered an escape route. If Romulus joined the fray, he could finally rest. He could stop pretending to be someone he no longer was.

"You're our only chance now," Jules said softly. "Protect our home. All of you. I'm doing my part. You do yours."


	5. Chapter 5

"You know," I grumbled, "when I pictured myself leaving camp, this wasn't how I imagined it."

"Did you expect a helicopter?" Octavian scoffed.

"No, just better company."

"Shut up," Reyna scolded.

The three of us were walking through the woods in the middle of the night. Well, it was almost dawn now. The meeting had taken longer than expected, and the preparation even longer. Jules had managed to fish out a few nearly maxed out Amex cards from somewhere in the principia when we returned. He then inspected our carefully selected provisions, took out nearly half of it, then sent us on our way.

We decided to leave in style by taking an Uber to the Wolf House, Lupa's den and the place where all demigods started their journey to Camp Jupiter. Not all the way there, of course – we asked the driver to stop just before the tree line to maintain the secret.

"Lots of wolves were spotted here, kids," he said with a frown. "And not just the usual ones, either. It's like there's a new pack invading California."

That gave us some pause: monsters generally kept their distance from mortals unless they were too feral, too hungry, or too confident to care. If Jules felt the need to give us a heads-up too, it was most likely the third possibility.

"Don't worry, sir," Octavian had said. "We're prepared for anything."

That was almost an hour ago. Now we were trekking through treacherous terrain that would have led to several rolled ankles if it weren't for the moonlight, but even that was starting to wane. It won't be long before sunrise.

We tried to move stealthily before realizing that it would take way too much time and abandoned it in favor of a much faster and noisier jaunt. Our only reassurance was that if there were monsters nearby, they'd have spotted us by now.

Octavian huffed beside me. He was carrying a backpack, same as us, but his had a noticeable bulge near the top where his teddy bear was stored, kept above camping tools and the various knives we brought along for easy access. Each of us took something personal: I grabbed extra snacks, Reyna extra weapons, and Octavian a teddy bear. Jules had seriously reconsidered his decision when Octavian claimed he needed it to sleep at night.

"It's my first time leaving Camp Jupiter for more than a day," he said defensively.

I'd volunteered to carry the food, but neither Octavian nor Reyna trusted me with it, so I was relegated to carrying the tent. I still thought we could've spent the nights in various 24-hour fast food joints, switching places every few hours, but they thought it was below us. As if camping was much more dignified.

Reyna stalked ahead, pausing now and then to swivel her head in search of danger. I could barely see anything. We were approaching that strange time of day between dusk and dawn when both sunlight and moonlight were absent. We'll reach the Wolf House soon, but if there was going to be an ambush, it would be now.

Nothing showed up. Not even one of Lupa's wolves, which was a little unnerving. I'd spent weeks or months in her care, and ran, played, and fought in these woods – it was even starting to look familiar with just the faint light of Reyna's gladius. One of her many tests and challenges had me sneaking in the woods to try and avoid her pack's patrols. I'd learned that her wolves were always watching me out of sight, especially this close to the den. The fact that our passage had remained undisturbed made me nervous.

_Did someone take her down? _I worried. No – this was Lupa we were talking about. She was the one who raised Romulus and trained a thousand heroes whose names we still remember today. Nobody had sent her to Tartarus since ancient Rome. But she never mentioned her role in the Titan War.

Reyna slowed down to keep pace with Octavian and I. The message was clear: stick together. The three of us huddled before proceeding, each facing a different direction.

The foliage soon gave way to an untended gravel path that faded and reappeared in patches that had somehow avoided being covered in undergrowth. It wound through the dense forest and ended at a brooding ruin. In better days, it would probably look like the mansion of a billionaire lumberjack. Now, the house was long abandoned by its demigod builder and repopulated by Lupa's pack. I'd always wondered why she chose this place – wouldn't it make more sense for wolves to hide out in a national park? Lupa had always insisted that she chose this spot because it was 'a site of tremendous power', whatever that meant.

"Nobody's home," Reyna muttered.

"Maybe they're out hunting," I said hopefully.

"The whole pack?" Octavian shook his head. "There's always a few guards at least."

"Maybe they're out hunting something really big," I mumbled.

We crept inside the ruins. The Wolf House was shaped like a giant inverted letter 'U', kind of like a carving fork. The large entrance had fallen into disrepair and turned into a crumbling archway that opened into an enormous courtyard, larger than the exterior would suggest, sandwiched between the two wings. In the middle was a dried-up reflecting pool that stretched almost to the entire length of the open space. The wind whistled between smashed windows and shadows gathered in every nook and cranny. The silence was eerie. I'd never been in the Wolf House without the company of Lupa or her wolves, and I could see why mortals avoided this place. It looked like the setting of every horror movie ever.

"I don't like this," I muttered.

"Spread out and search?" Octavian suggested. I shook my head. It would be far too easy to get picked off in the darkness.

"We'll do it together," I said, fishing out my coin. The others nodded and followed my lead. Reyna readied her sword while I favoured the spear. Octavian pulled out a knife – carrying a gladius just wasn't practical. We moved towards the left side of the building. I took one step in that direction and lights blazed in the darkness.

Not lights – eyes, three pairs and counting, as silhouettes emerged from the shadows. I instinctively stepped back and fell into stance. Fear threatened to lock up my muscles, but I forced it down and checked my surroundings. More lurking creatures revealed themselves all around us.

Their black fur seemed to attract the shadows as they approached us. If the glowing eyes didn't give it away, the sheer size of these wolves made it clear that they were no ordinary creatures. Even the smallest ones could have outweighed the three of us combined. A few were almost as tall as me at the shoulder. I tried not to back up – friend or foe, they would have pounced at any sign of weakness.

The wolves circled us. I scanned the crowd, desperate for a familiar face. I didn't recognize any of them. I did, however, notice something weird. The ring of wolves and shadows were marred with spots of dark red. Was that blood? Then they started baring their fangs, and my eyes snapped away from the splotches. I never appreciated how long they were. Like daggers, really.

I gripped the spear tighter. Win or lose, this was going to get ugly. If I charged, surprised them –

A piercing howl stopped me from doing anything stupid. The ground trembled as what sounded like galloping stallions thundered closer and closer. There – from hidden entrances, from the wide archway, even from several second-floor windows – more wolves started appearing. These were breathing hard, fur damp from the mist that started to roll in with them right on cue. They looked tired, but their eyes had a gleam of intelligence that the other wolves were missing.

"My children are always welcome," someone behind me rumbled, "but not when they bear weapons." I wheeled around. The others did the same, and together we stared in awe as an enormous wolf the size of a van appeared before us. Unlike her brethren, this wolf's eyes gleamed silver.

"Lupa," I breathed, standing straight and dismissing my weapon. Reyna and Octavian followed my lead. The wolves stopped their growling when Lupa spoke.

"I didn't think I'd meet you all so soon," Lupa said. Her voice is probably how you'd imagine a lioness speaking, not a wolf – but there was a smooth cunning in her words, as if she was scheming while exchanging pleasantries. Lupa frowned at us. She somehow managed human expressions despite being limited to a canine face, though that was more of a benefit than a hindrance, since she could be as inscrutable as an animal or as emotive as a person whenever she wanted.

Here she looked a little surprised and slightly disappointed. We were expected to survive without her help, after all. That was the whole point of her training.

"We wouldn't have come without good reason," Octavian said.

"Does it involve the army of monsters in Mount Othrys, perhaps?" Lupa snarked.

Octavian bit back a clever reply. "Yes. We were sent on a mission by Jules to find reinforcements – "

"Reinforcements?" she snapped. Lupa began prowling around us. Her pack followed her example and tensed, ready to attack.

I winced. Octavian was a great speaker, but he tended to beat about the bush too much. He didn't seem to understand that it was sometimes better to be direct, especially when you're talking to a wolf goddess.

"We're going to find Romulus," Reyna put in. "If you can't help us, we'll be on our way."

Reyna could be a little too direct.

"Romulus?" Lupa repeated. Her lips curled back slightly. She spoke with an amused tone, one that she used right after I cracked a bad joke and right before she made me regret it.

"And you think I can help you?" she said.

"We do," I spoke up. "Since he's your son and all."

"You are all my children. I do not keep track of you. Why do you expect me to keep track of him?"

"We don't," I said. "We were just looking for some pointers. A clue, maybe, or a hint…" I trailed off as Lupa snorted derisively.

"You admit, then, that the very first thing you did in your journey was to ask for help? You didn't even try to pursue him yourself? Pathetic. I thought I raised you better than this."

My temper shorted out. It was un-Roman, but that was the last thing on my mind.

"I don't care," I snapped. "We need your help, not a lecture. This is bigger than our pride. But if you think that we've gone soft, I'd be happy to prove you wrong." I took out the coin and flipped it into a spear.

"What the hell are you doing?" Octavian whispered hurriedly from the corner of his mouth. Reyna reached into her own pocket with a grim expression.

I might have killed us all.

Lupa stopped walking. For a second, I thought she'd really attack. I liked our chances even less with her against us, but I was certain I could take down one or two wolves with me.

Then she made a weird hooting sound. Lupa was laughing. All around the courtyard, wolves picked up the chant. I felt my ears redden.

"That's more like it," she purred. Lupa sat on her massive hindlegs. Some of the larger wolves did the same, yet some disappeared from view.

Mist had rolled in, the kind that looked more like dense clouds, thicker than anything a smoke machine could produce. I felt it brush against my legs and tickle the side of my face. To my surprise, it wasn't unlike getting sprayed from a bottle. I guess there was more water in it than I thought. I willed it away and tried to focus on Lupa again.

She had a faraway look on her face and stared out to the horizon. I'd never seen that expression before. It was almost nostalgic.

"My son," she started slowly, "my greatest, proudest child, disappeared millennia ago. I know he lives – I can think of no man or god who can outsmart him – but he's truly vanished. I'm sorry, children."

My heart sank.

"I can, however, give you some vague ideas. Being his mother, I'd like to think that they are accurate."

"That's more than enough," Octavian said. I nodded enthusiastically. Lupa's vague ideas tend to be unerringly precise.

"He has vanished," Lupa said slowly, "and none of the Olympians can say where has gone. Not even Jupiter. So, tell me, children, where _you _think he is."

Ever the teacher. This was getting a little frustrating, but that's just who Lupa is. Never a missed opportunity to continue our education.

"Underground?" I suggested. "Maybe hiding in the Underworld?"

"Pluto would have found him eventually," Lupa dismissed.

"The Sea of Monsters," Reyna said quietly. Octavian and I looked at her, surprised. She'd gone silent, staring at the ground, her expression the opposite of Lupa's when she was thinking of her favoured son.

Sea of Monsters? Where the hell did that come from?

"An interesting suggestion," Lupa said slowly, "but no. Apollo would have seen him in his infernal chariot. Magic could enshroud him, but my son can do no such thing."

I thought hard. He was hiding someplace even the gods didn't go. But that didn't make sense. They could go anywhere. I'd even heard that they can be in multiple places at once. How do you hide from that?

"The gods' biggest weakness," Octavian muttered, "is also their blind spot. It's not because they lack strength… it's because they have too much of it." He snapped his fingers.

"It's somewhere they think no one other than a god can go," he triumphed. "He's in Olympus!"

Lupa chuckled deep in her throat. "Very good, son. My thoughts precisely, but you have the location a little off. Men can visit Olympus, even without the gods' approval."

"He's in New York," I realized. It made perfect sense. There were so many monsters, they would think he'd already be found if he was there. The gods had never thought to look there because of their pride – even if they suspected the truth at some point, they couldn't find him without admitting that he'd been under their noses the whole time.

Lupa dipped her head in acknowledgement.

"But… that's on the other side of the country," Octavian frowned.

"We can take a plane," Reyna suggested.

"We can only afford travel by car or train. But going there isn't the problem. It's getting back. A round trip can take two weeks total."

"Even then, New York's a big place," I sighed. "Assuming we're right, of course."

It was an impossible task. I started to understand Jules's frustration. And still, nobody voiced the biggest problem. If by some miracle we could do all that, what good was one man going to be? Wouldn't the head of Medusa be more helpful?

Lupa watched, eyes shifting between each of us and ears perked up. She had something in mind; she was just deciding if we deserved the knowledge. Convincing her might be even more difficult, though. There was no other way.

I looked to Octavian. His grim expression told me that he'd come to the same conclusion.

"Do you think you can do it?" I asked.

Octavian sucked in a breath and nodded sharply. "One way to find out."

"I'm confused," Reyna frowned.

"Octavian thinks he might be an augur," I explained. "He's been having weird dreams, and he thinks – _we _think they might be of the future."

"And you just brought it up now?" Reyna scoffed.

"Hey, man. If it turns out it was just a weird dream, he'll look like an idiot."

"If only that were the sole consequence, Percy," Lupa growled. I jumped at her voice. Her shoulders had tensed, and I saw her muscles drawn taut just below her fur. A few fangs were visible below her curled lip.

"There hasn't been an augur in Camp Jupiter for generations. Past legionaries always manifested the ability from childhood. It is folly to think that you bear the curse, child," she snarled.

Octavian squared his shoulders. "I know what I saw, Lupa. You always tell me to trust my instincts, and mine say that I can do it. I don't know why it only came up now, but… I think it might be because the gods finally realize that they're going to need our help in the war."

"Gods and demigods working together? Not possible."

"Or," Octavian backpedalled, "they might have given us this gift because we're going to need it. Just think – if we could track the enemy without risking ourselves? If we can see how our missions play out before we leave?"

"That's not how it works. Power always comes at a cost."

"I know we have to sacrifice small animals over a brazier, but – "

"Each augury takes something from the bearer," Lupa growled. "And it is always too much."

"I'm different."

"That's what they all say."

"Do you have a better idea?" he snapped. "Because mine is the best we've come up with all day. So, can you even justify your whining?"

I held my breath. Lupa narrowed her eyes. When she next spoke, her words were clipped.

"If you choose to use augury, you will do so without my blessing. You will rely on it too much, and it will consume you. I cannot condone it. But," she added before Octavian could interrupt, "there is… a loophole. Instead of using yourself, you can instead contract the services of someone else. Another augur."

"Great," I sighed. "First, we have to find a missing god, but since we don't know where he is, we have to find someone else who _might _know – and we don't know where to find that person either. Great. That's not complicated at all."

"It's not," Lupa said. "Because not only do I know who he is – if I am right about him, he will seek you out. Attius Navius, patron of augurs, first to bear the curse, still wanders this earth, to the dismay of many. Even Pluto finds it difficult to capture a man who can see the future."

"I thought you said augury comes at a price?" Octavian demanded. "Then how is he still alive?"

"The curse takes its toll on the mind, not the body. Usually the loss of one is quickly followed by the loss of the other, but Attius has ascended to godhood – "

"Then he's the most powerful man in the world!" Octavian exclaimed.

"– and his mind continues to tear itself apart."

"He's insane?" I asked.

"He went mad thousands of years ago," Lupa replied. "I have no idea what he has turned into now."

"Then why would he help us?" Reyna asked.

"Attius is always present in the turning points of history. He is attracted to wars, conflict, negotiations… and suicide missions."

"Awesome."

"You must go immediately, children," Lupa ordered. "Do not stop for anything. If we have fortune's favour, then hope that you will meet Attius in New York. Maybe then you will have time enough to return to New Rome. And – "

A howl made every head turn. It sounded unfamiliar. Less of an announcement and more like a flare.

"Is that one of yours?" Reyna asked Lupa.

Lupa rose to her feet. Her wolves growled, their fur spiking as their muscles tensed. A second howl tore through the air, then a second, then a third. Each one was slightly different. Stronger, and closer.

I hadn't noticed the sun just starting to rise, the light refracting off the dewy mist in a strange spectrum of smoke and shadow. Drops of water formed on my eyelashes and threatened to obscure my vision. Reyna and Octavian had to rub their eyes while I willed myself dry.

Silhouettes emerged, appearing much as Lupa had: without warning and from every direction. The darkness condensed into the shape of wolves to rival Lupa's pack. These ones had reddish-brown coats, like rusted blades. Even their teeth were discoloured. _That_ must have been blood.

A chorus of deepthroated growls from both sides had been building into a crescendo before it abruptly stopped. The crickets and birds had quieted. My shaky breath filled the silence. The hazy air seemed to slow time.

Another figure stepped out of the mist in the main entrance. This one was different: bipedal, and almost humanoid, but _wrong. _Distorted somehow, with limbs stretched like a stubborn piece of jerky. Its head was similarly misshapen: the face pulled forward to form a blunt snout.

The creature took one bowlegged step into the threshold and Lupa's wolves responded immediately. Our weapons were out and ready within seconds, but we were slow compared to the rest of the pack. They had exploded into motion and made a loose ring around us, each wolf staring down an opponent.

"You surprise me," the monster spoke. It sounded like a phlegmy chain-smoker. "I overestimated you, Lupa. We should have attacked far sooner."

"Your only mistake was coming here," Lupa said, her voice dangerously calm. She sauntered beside us and stood her ground. It was a lot more comforting to know that we had a giant wolf goddess on our side. But the monster had a disturbing amount of confidence even when he was dwarfed.

It took another step closer. I could see it better now. Torn rags clung to its chest, but its legs were the powerful hindquarters of a wolf. Its limbs were so long, the hooked claws on its hands left ruts in the ground. And its face…

It was unmistakably human but stretched out on a wolf's head. The result was a grotesque mask with eyes set deep into the skull, perked ears pointed back, skin drawn taut, and lips curled to bare oversized morals and fangs.

"Lycaon," Octavian breathed.

"You know this freak?" I asked.

"I saw him in my dream last night. I finally understand it now."

"Why didn't you say we were going to fight a werewolf?"

"I didn't see a werewolf. I saw a king."

The monster, Lycaon, twisted its shoulders in a mock bow. When he straightened, his lips were pulled even further back.

"This one, at least, has some measure of respect," he growled. "And you surprise me yet again, Lupa. Bringing cubs into your fight? Insightful as they may be, you're just asking me to devour them."

"Seeing as they are Roman legionaries and not your own children, Lycaon, I doubt it," Lupa shot back. Her wolves rumbled with laughter, but I didn't miss the fact that she edged closer to us.

I assessed the situation, just like she drilled me, and thanked the gods that I did.

While Lycaon made his entrance, even more wolves entered the ruins. Lupa's pack members looked bigger, but nearly half of them were sporting an injury of some kind. Lupa might be able to turn the tide, but not while protecting us. We were in the way. Unfortunately, we were also the targets.

"We need to go," Octavian whispered.

I nodded in agreement. "Right. It's best if we split up. We have to keep moving or we'll get surrounded. We should each take a side, then – "

"What? We need to get out of here!"

"We can't leave them – "

They attacked. All around us, snarling wolves tumbled into furious tempests of black and red, tearing pieces off each other, fights starting and ending faster than I could see.

We would have been reduced to mincemeat if Lupa wasn't there. Lycaon charged, a blur, and collided with Lupa. I brandished my spear, looking for something to stab, and crashed to the ground in a dizzying second.

I raised my hands reflexively. Good thing, too, because the spear I held saved my life. Fangs gnashed at the golden shaft shoved between a wolf's jaws. I held on for dear life and felt the monster slowly pressing my bones deeper into the earth.

The weight vanished just as suddenly. I gasped for breath and stood up too fast, making my head spin. Lupa was in front of me, a wolf dead at her feet, and four more surrounding her.

"Percy!" someone screamed. Octavian waved at me from one of the entrances. Reyna was stabbing at a wolf with a spear. Its flesh writhed and reformed wherever her weapon struck – she couldn't kill it, but she kept it at bay long enough for me to run, scoop up a rock, and smash it on the temple.

"Let's go!" I yelled. They needed no prompting. I dismissed my spear; it'll just get in the way. The three of us bounded out of the ruins and into the treeline.

For a few blissful seconds I thought we were safe in the forest. Then an uproar of howls chased after us, followed closely by galloping feet.

Where were we going? Where was Lupa? Where were my friends? Panicked thoughts threatened to implode my head and made my vision spin. Putting one foot in front of the other became the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I let my instincts take over. All conscious thought left me while I ran like an animal.

Wolves bayed behind me. For the very first time, I was scared for my life. Not even the thunder of chariots made me feel this way. For the very first time, death chased me.

I vaulted a log, ducked a branch. Every snapping twig sounded like bone. I risked a look back and saw my friends stumbling forward with me, eyes wild. Brownish-red streaks of colour followed, shadowed by black wolves nipping at their heels. If it weren't for their harrying, we'd be dead already.

Legionary training was the only thing that kept me going, but it almost wasn't enough. Fear replaced willpower as my mind collapsed to see only what was in front of me. Sweat and mist clung to my skin. My backpack chafed against the back of my neck. And all the while the sound of wolves came closer and closer. I panted like a dog, my breath clouding in front of me. Then I realized what I was seeing. Water.

In an instant my mind refocused. I forced myself to think and realized that I wasn't as tired as I should be. Fear clouded my thoughts, not exhaustion.

Even on land there was water all around me. And when I have water, I have power.

I pictured the mist getting thicker. Nothing happened. I pictured it again, and this time _forced _the image to happen. I made myself feel it on my arms, on my hair, sticking to my shirt, muddying my feet. And as I willed it to obey, the mist responded.

Soon a dense fog enveloped me. I had to slow to a brisk walk or risk twisting my ankle in the undergrowth. Confused grunts sounded off everywhere, what felt like inches away, as I scanned for my friends.

Reyna was right beside me, brandishing a sword even while her chest heaved. Octavian fell to a jog as he struggled to catch his breath, not even questioning the sudden reprieve. I took a deep breath and leaned against a tree. I felt too tired to collapse. But we were safe for now.

When the growling stopped, I sagged to my knees. Then I heard sniffing.

The others looked at me in horror. The wolves would find us if they switched to scent.

"Run!" I screamed. I forced myself to move and bring our shroud with us. The short break made my legs feel even heavier. The hunt resumed.

_We just… have to keep moving, _I thought. _Until we reach the city. They won't follow us there. They can't find us here. We just need to keep moving. _

Then a wall of brown and red flashed ahead. Another streaked past me, to my left. A set of jaws nearly found my legs.

"How?" Octavian huffed as he drew his knife. Reyna pushed aside a charging wolf and nearly stumbled.

I summoned my gladius while my mind raced. How were they tracking us? It wasn't accurate, but close enough. Claws raked the air and narrowly missed my skin. I reacted just in time to duck underneath a leaping wolf that came from right in front of me.

It was unpredictable. Chaotic. Random. They weren't coordinated. They were just guessing.

"The mist!" Reyna yelled.

I cursed. I must have condensed the mist into a single moving area. It clouded us, but also gave away our position.

The wolves were getting closer and closer. A fang nicked my ear and I felt a spray of warm blood. It was only a matter of time. We had to gamble.

I turned to the others. "Trust me!" I managed to say before dropping my sword and tackling them both to the ground. We cowered in the grass and dirt while I prayed to every god and goddess I could think of for the wolves to avoid our prone bodies.

Heavy footsteps sounded all around us. I clamped Reyna and Octavian's mouths shut while I sent the mist ahead. After a long moment my vision cleared, and I saw a dense fog with the occasional splash of brown and red within. The forest fell silent.

I slowly stood, sword pointed at the rolling mist. My friends rose to either side of me.

"That," Octavian breathed, "was insane."

I nodded numbly. "Let's not do that again," I croaked. Everything went dark for a second, as if I took a long involuntary blink. I would have collapsed if Reyna didn't catch me.

"Whoa," I mumbled.

"He's barely conscious," I heard Reyna mutter beside my ear. "Let's get going before they come back. Which way to the city?"

Octavian flipped out his phone and consulted it for a second before picking a direction. He wrapped my arm around his shoulder and together, we made our way out of the woods.

I was dimly aware of my surroundings. My stumbling feet, the reassuring weight of my friends. But when we finally left the forest, one thing registered in my mind. Dozens of triumphant howls – from Lycaon's wolves.


	6. Chapter 6

When an immortal wolf goddess told me that I was a demigod, I thought I'd be going on wacky adventures with sidekicks, animal companions, and magic weapons. So, the fact that I was now eating fast food in the Iowa 80 truckstop, worrying about said wolf goddess's wellbeing is a bit of a downer to say the least.

It's been days since the mess at the Wolf House. Octavian tells me that it's been less than 72 hours, but I find that hard to believe. We sleep during the day in shifty motels in the hopes that Lycaon wouldn't attack in broad daylight, and travel by night in the hopes that we could outrun them in a vehicle. We've been right so far, though I felt constantly jetlagged.

And not to mention hungry. I was standing in line at an Arby's with Reyna while Octavian tried to find a Good Samaritan who would be willing to take us as close to New York as possible. We could get there with the funds Jules gave us, but Octavian insisted that we stay frugal. I didn't see the point, but he was the quest leader, so I stayed quiet. At least he let me pick the food.

"This place is disgusting," Reyna said with her nose wrinkled.

"Clearly you've never had their Beef 'N' Cheddar sandwich," I scoffed.

"It smells."

"We're right next to a gas station, cut them some slack."

The customer in front of me took his order and left. I stepped up to the counter and smiled at the cashier, a skinny twenty-something who gave me a vacant stare that I learned everyone working the graveyard shift had plastered on their face.

"Hi," I said. "Can I get, uh… two Smokehouse Briskets with fries and Coke? Upsized, with extra everything. Like, as much as you're allowed to give me."

I turned to Reyna, who was scanning the menu like a hawk.

"Make that three," she murmured. "And curly fries and mozzarella sticks."

I nodded approvingly. Octavian would hate me for buying so much, but only before he started eating.

The cashier repeated our order, mentioned a price, and I nodded distractedly as I passed her one of our cards. For once, money wasn't a concern. Instead, despite having gone over them several times already, I checked our escape routes again: front door, side door, kitchen. No obstructions. Good.

We decided to stay in the dumpy hostel nearby and avoided the huge camping site – it would be the first place Lycaon would look. Here, at least, the smell of food and gasoline would help mask our scent. Which is good. We had to resort to rolling in the mud a couple days ago.

They had our meals ready faster than I expected – but then again, we were the only ones here. Reyna and I picked up the two heavily-laden trays overflowing with extra sauce packets and picked out a table. I spoiled myself by picking one a little far from the escape routes but had sofa seats to compensate. Reyna looked like she wanted to argue but stopped herself when she saw me stretching out my legs.

I unwrapped each sandwich, selected the biggest one, and put it in front of me. Reyna took one at random, and I squirted three packets of mustard into Octavian's sandwich, focusing on one spot so he'd eat it all in a single bite. Reyna gave me a weird look.

"He'd do the same for me," I grinned, digging into my food. Reyna shrugged and added even more mustard to his sandwich. She winked when she saw my surprised expression and started eating.

I considered my strangest friend between chews. Travelling with her for days now made me grow a little more accustomed to her silence, but it was moments like these that confused me. I've met incorrigible pranksters and quiet introverts. Reyna was both. At least, that's what I thought at first: I was starting to suspect that she was more of the former, but she suppressed it in favour of a more serious persona. I wasn't sure why – not yet. But I felt like I was starting to get enough clues to piece it together. Whatever the reason, it had something to do with what she said to Lupa.

"So," I said, "how are you holding up?"

"I'm good," she replied. Normally she would leave it at that – I half-expected she would – but after a brief pause, she continued.

"It's not the first time I've… travelled. This is actually pretty nice in comparison," Reyna said carefully. The answer was cautious, vague, and sounded like a response from a robot trying to imitate normal human speech. But it was a start.

"When was that?" I asked.

"A while ago. Um… right before I came to camp."

"Does it have anything to do with the Sea of Monsters?"

Reyna froze, and I saw her hand stray to her coin. _Okay, _I thought. _Sore point._

"What is it, anyway?" I pressed.

"It's nothing," she replied, flustered.

"It can't be nothing," I insisted. "You looked like you were about to throw up when you brought it up. Even Lupa seemed surprised. So, is it a place? It is, isn't it?"

"Percy," she glowered. "Drop it."

"Is that where you lived?"

"No – yes. Well, not exactly. I don't want to talk about it."

"You lived someplace the gods can't see?"

"Well it certainly felt gods-forsaken, so yeah."

"What happened there?" I asked, leaning forward.

Reyna frowned, looking more confused than angry. "Nothing."

"Is it why your sister left you?"

Reyna slammed her hand on the table so hard, she spilled my Coke. I felt like that was on me, though. Her eyes pierced into mine and left no room for interpretation: I'd crossed a line.

She didn't look away for a full five minutes, during which time I tried and failed to come up with some way to apologize. Anything to stop that wolf stare. Then she let out a deep breath and spoke with barely controlled words.

"She didn't leave me," Reyna forced out. "We had a disagreement. I wanted to go to Camp Jupiter. Hylla didn't. End of story."

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "I went too far. I just wanted to… figure you out. You're all mysterious and secretive, and I wanted to know what's up."

"Why?" Reyna demanded. "Why are you so interested? It's weird. And suspicious. If you hadn't saved my life in the tunnel and in the Wolf House, I wouldn't even be talking to you now."

"Are you saying that you're okay with me asking?" I asked.

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"It's okay," I coaxed. "We're all carrying baggage. I was in your spot, you know. I didn't have anyone to turn to, not even my own family, godly or otherwise. I was a spiteful little ball of energy. But then I came to camp. I met Octavian, Alex, Felix, Vanessa, Dakota, Gwen, Jules… you. This is supposed to be our new home, our new family, our second chance. We protect each other, but only if you let us."

Reyna shifted uncomfortably in her seat, looking more confused than angry now. Even I was a little surprised. Where did that come from? Octavian was the one who made speeches, not me. I found myself questioning why I wanted to know more about her so badly. Maybe it was because I couldn't stand seeing someone being a friendless loser, the way I'd been before I came to camp.

Maybe it was something else. The anger she showed when we sparred… I was probably overthinking it. But I couldn't help but see myself in her, an embittered version of me. A person with her ability, without someone to temper it, friends and family to keep it in check – there was nowhere to go but down. I wondered what the Titans could do with her on their side.

Finally, Reyna looked me in the eye, most of the anger dissipated, replaced with a wary acceptance.

"Look. You seem like an alright person," she said. "Maybe I'll tell you sometime. But not now. Just… let me think about it. Okay?"

"Okay," I conceded. "I guess an Arby's isn't the best place for a heart-to-heart anyway."

"No," she agreed.

"What do you think?"

"Of a heart-to-heart?"

"Of the Arby's."

"I hate it. But the food's pretty good."

"Do you want to know how to make it even better?"

Reyna shook her head. "Not really, no."

"So, you know how what you taste is affected by what you smell?" I picked up a couple French fries. "Well, if you hold up these babies up to your nose, it's like eating the fries _and _the sandwich at the same time. Like this!"

I took a deep breath, as subtle as I could, then stuck both fries up my nostrils – right before it would've been painful – then pretended to inhale and took a bite off my sandwich.

"Mmmm," I said, desperately trying to hold my breath.

Reyna seemed doubtful but curiosity got the better of her. She took two smaller pieces – rookie mistake, I almost choked on my laughter – then stuck them up her nose. I gave her an encouraging nod and nearly passed out, I was so lightheaded. But it worked. Reyna set her jaw, raised her sandwich, and inhaled. Sharply.

For a brief instant both fries disappeared into her nose before she snorted them out, shooting the pieces to the floor. I burst into laughter, forgetting that my own nose was plugged, and suffered the same fate. We were both in tears, me more from laughing than the pain.

"I can't – I can't believe you fell for that," I gasped, clutching my nose. It hurt like hell, but it wasn't as bad as the first time. I could only imagine what Reyna was feeling. Actually, I didn't have to; it was written all over her face.

Where there was murderous anger just a second ago, now it was just normal anger, seeping away into some laughter.

"You seemed so sure," Reyna choked, "and I can't believe I was stupid enough to try. Gods!"

She shook her head. "How is it that you can be so serious sometimes, and so stupid less than a second later?"

"It's part of my charm," I grinned. She leaned back, exasperated, and managed something close to a smile.

A door swung open. I looked up to see Octavian walking inside, a little frazzled from the night air.

"I was starting to think you ditched us," I called out.

"Please," he snorted, walking to our table. "You wouldn't last a day without me."

Octavian sidled onto the sofa, forcing me to fold my legs. He was dressed the same as us, more or less: T-shirt, jeans, sneakers. We tried to wear less restrictive clothing, but the cold got the better of us soon enough.

"Did you find us a ride?" Reyna asked. Octavian looked up from his sandwich, looking a little surprised that she was there. It was rare to hear her give even the shortest answer, let alone take the initiative to ask a question. I let myself feel a little proud.

"Of course," Octavian said. He peeked inside his sandwich, took a French fry, and wiped off all the mustard, unfazed. "This _is _the world's largest truckstop. Plenty of cars here. None of them can take us all the way to New York, of course, but the closer we get, the more likely we'll find someone. I hope."

He chewed thoughtfully on his now-cold sandwich. "We don't have much time left. Assuming it takes a couple days to get to New York and find Romulus, we should still be able to get back to Camp Jupiter in less than two days if we make no stops. It'll be rough, but we can do it."

"Okay," I said slowly. "I know we've been avoiding this, and I hate to be the negative one – but what do we expect to find? How do we know that Romulus will single-handedly change the war?"

"Having the first king of Rome on our corner is reassuring, dude," Octavian said, waving a French fry at me. "On morale most of all. Maybe more people will think we stand a chance if we have him with us. Second, he can help strategize. Thousands of years of experience has got to count for something."

"Better than Jules? He's a literal armchair general," I challenged.

"Okay, that's just uncalled for," Octavian said with a laugh. "But yeah, I wouldn't be surprised. Just imagine what we could dowith him. The secrets of Rome finally revealed to us. Maybe he even knows how to make Imperial gold."

I whistled. Now thatwould be worth it. Regular steel can kill monsters, sure, but it's like trying to cut a hunk of frozen butter with a teaspoon. Imperial gold is like using a hot knife.

"I still don't understand," Reyna piped up. "I mean, I know that it's powerful. I don't know why we have so little of it."

Octavian and I traded looks. It's always been a sore point in our history, so we avoided bringing it up. Everyone's heard some version of the rumours, though.

"Well," I started, "there's a lot of stories. Some people say that towards the end of the Roman Empire, the legions lost them in battle. One of them even disappeared altogether. Most agree that when Rome was no longer the world's centre of power, and gods, demigods, and monsters left the area, people forgot its value. There might still be some in Rome. Nobody knows. Except maybe – "

"Romulus," Octavian finished. "And if we can bring a cache of Imperial gold with us to the battle too, that'll truly turn the tide. We can finally fight back."

"And if he doesn't?" Reyna asked, frowning. "If it turns out he's a senile old man, even worse than Terminus?"

Octavian scowled. He didn't like it when people questioned his goals, no matter what they were.

"Then we hope to the gods, whoever's still on our side, that Camp Jupiter can survive without us," he said coldly.

I watched the tension between the two. Where did that come from?

"We're not helpless, either," I spoke up. "Vanessa and the other Vulcan kids can be unstoppable if you give them enough prep time. The legions will have veterans with them, and we'll be fighting on our turf. Home court advantage. We won't go down without a fight."

"Against a Titan?" Reyna said quietly.

I faltered. She was right: Krios was an unknown factor. We didn't know anything about him, just that he was one of the most powerful Titans. If he was of the same calibre as the more famous ones like Hyperion and Atlas – enough power to challenge the gods – then I didn't see us winning.

"They'll make it," Octavian spat. "We've got our own god on our side. He may not look like much, but Terminus is solid. I trust him."

Octavian was nothing if not patriotic. For all his faults, and the whispers people say about him behind his back, nobody would argue that he loved Rome. It was a given.

"Yeah," I said, nodded approvingly. "If it comes down to it, I'm sure he can just annoy Krios to death."

That diffused the tension somewhat. Still left us uneasy. I rushed to change the subject.

"Do you think Lycaon's off our scent?" I asked.

"Doubt it," Octavian grunted. "If he's anything like Lupa, he won't stop until we're dead or he is. Even then, his pack would avenge him."

"What happened to Lupa?" Reyna asked. "Is she alright?"

Another sore point. I liked to think that she could handle herself, and Octavian practically reveres her as a goddess – which she is, technically – but it sounded pretty bad when we left the Wolf House.

"She's immortal," I said. "She can't die. Like, by definition."

"Aren't we on a quest to kill an immortal right now?" she questioned.

"Sure, maybe you can incapacitate her, or hurt her enough to force her to flee," Octavian shrugged. "But she isn't dead. I'm sure."

"But she's out of the fight," Reyna sighed.

"As much as it hurts to say it, I can't disagree," I said. "We have to assume that she's out of the equation for now."

"Whatever the case, we'll have to be extra careful," Octavian said. "We have to stick to the plan. No more sleeping in one location. We need to be on the move constantly."

"Are you saying we can't have anymore fast food?" I asked, aghast.

"Well, I guess drive-thru is acceptable," Octavian admitted. "But also, avoidable – what happened to all the food we brought?"

"They're still in my backpack," I said, patting it affectionately.

"I thought you ate it all," Reyna said without a hint of sarcasm.

"What? Of course not. If I have to eat canned food one more time, I swear to the gods that I'm just going to let the Titans win. That stuff is gross."

"It's not so bad," she mumbled.

"Anyway," Octavian pressed, "my point is, this isn't impossible. We're only a few days away. We can do this."

I heard the door open again and kept eating, dismissing the newcomer as some trucker. Then his smell hit me and made me recoil. It was the unmistakable odour of wet dog mixed with rotten meat. Nobody could smell that bad.

I was right, in a way. It wasn't a person that entered the restaurant. A panting, brownish-red wolf walked into an Arby's at three in the morning and strolled down the aisle, nose sniffing deeply. Then its eyes wandered to us and froze.

Reyna and Octavian turned to see what I was looking at. For a few moments we stared at each other in complete silence.

Its lip curled back in a mockery of a smile. Then it reared its head back and howled.

Several things happened at the same time. Reyna leapt to her feet, summoning her spear. Octavian grabbed the object closest to him – a half-eaten sandwich – and hurled it at the monster's throat. I ran away from the scene, vaulted the counter, and opened the kitchen door to warn the cashier.

When I burst into the room, gladius raised, I scanned the area for any sign of life. The hot air from the fryers scalded my senses, but it was impossible to miss the oversized wolf dripping with bright red blood, hunched over the prone cashier.

I bit back a scream and struggled to control myself. There was nothing left to do for the mortal, but my friends were still in danger.

In the space of ten seconds they were both nearly dead. Octavian had a shallow cut on his side and had retreated to our backpacks, rummaging for gods know what, leaving Reyna to deal with the wolf alone. She held her spear between the wolf's jaws and stood her ground, but it was slowly overpowering her. If it were any bigger it would be on top of Reyna already.

I rushed to help, swinging my sword wildly and only remembered that it was useless when it passed through.

"Idiot!" Reyna snapped. The wolf tried to switch targets to me, and Reyna forced her spear further down its mouth.

There had to be something I could use. Out of options, I dropped my sword and grabbed a chair instead, and used it to club the wolf. The first hit barely fazed him, but after a few more pummels it finally retreated. Reyna steadied herself, blowing away a strand of hair from her eyes, already looking exhausted.

"Over here!" Octavian cried out. We both turned to see him holding the side door open, holding his backpack and – was that a teddy bear?

Reyna and I traded confused looks. Even the wolf paused to think, wondering if we'd finally given up. But I trusted Octavian.

I bolted to the door, Reyna and the wolf at my heels. We would pause every few steps and take turns to swipe at the wolf, Reyna with her spear, and me with a chair until I felt my coin return to my pocket. We made it out of the Arby's, and I felt a lot more comfortable in the open with a real weapon in hand.

Then the second wolf crashed through the glass windows. It shook itself free of broken glass and blood and joined the fray.

"Any time now," I yelled. Reyna and I engaged the wolves. They were ducking and avoiding our weapons on instinct but got closer after every attack. Once they got over their fear, we couldn't do anything to stop them. It was only a matter of time.

A strong, earthy smell filled the air. The unmistakable scent of gasoline. I felt its presence, the liquid gushing out in a hose from a muzzle, traced its spray in the air and jumped back to avoid it as Octavian cried out a warning.

"Get back!" he shouted. Reyna moved faster than I ever could and was still slower than the wolf. Only a jet of gasoline deterred its advance.

The two of us huddled next to Octavian. He held the muzzle, frantically trying to cover as much ground as possible. His backpack lay discarded, but the teddy bar was still in his grasp. We did our best to push back the wolves, who were now covered in oil. It was much easier as they struggled to even keep their footing. Eventually they stopped to shake themselves and surround us instead, herding us back towards the gas pump. Then Octavian literally ran out of gas. There was nothing between us.

"Please tell me you have a light," I murmured.

"Isn't the lighter with you?" Octavian asked, horrified. Then a howl pierced the air, alarmingly close. Then another. And another.

"It's in my bag!" I yelled.

"Why the hell didn't you bring it?" Octavian shrieked.

"How was I supposed to know what you'd do?" I shouted back.

"Because we're right next to a gas station!"

All around us, more brownish-red wolves appeared. They were much larger than the two we fought, which I realized must have been scouts. These reinforcements – they would be the real warriors.

And they looked it. More feral, longer claws, and battle-scarred. At least there were fewer than there were in the Wolf House, and most of them sported half-healed wounds and scars shaped like scratch and teeth marks. Quite a few were missing eyes and ears. Lupa's pack went down fighting. We could do the same.

Most importantly, Lycaon was absent. Without a leader the pack stalled their advance and moved on instinct instead of orders. It gave me a few seconds to talk.

"We're not all going to make it," I said softly.

"What?" Octavian said, his voice cracked with fear.

"We're not going to make it!" I yelled. "But you might. Get out of here, get a ride. Reyna and I will hold them off."

"I'm not going to leave you," Octavian growled.

"You will if I ask."

"Stop trying to be the hero, Percy!" he snapped, drawing his knife. "We do this together."

I grit my teeth. "There's nothing more to do! At least you can get home!"

"It won't be a home if you're not in it!"

"Oh, for God's sake," Reyna muttered. She snatched my gladius and charged the wolves. Even they seemed surprised. Then she ran the blade against her own Imperial gold spear, producing a ringing sound of metal on metal.

And at the end, a small spark.

Flames erupted in a circle between the wolves and us. Embers lit up as their paws caught fire. The two smaller wolves were completely immolated and spread it to their comrades in a panic. Soon each wolf had an individual bonfire that slowly consumed them. Without a leader, they ran amok, barking and yelping in the dark.

"Here," Reyna said, tossing me my sword. "You can continue your date later."

I looked at Octavian, his face a reflection of the guilt I felt. Before it got too awkward, he drew his knife and approached the fire.

"Whoa, stop," I exclaimed, holding out a hand. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Augury," Octavian replied grimly. "I hope."

He lifted his teddy bear a few inches away from the fire. Even from this distance I could see the tongues of flame, dancing in the reflections in his eyes, burning the fear and doubt he'd held for so long. Then, in a single motion, Octavian disembowelled the stuffed animal.

I struggled to describe what happened. I doubt I'll ever be able to recreate that moment, not even in memory or dreams. When Octavian performed his first augury, the power that poured forth touched me for a single second.

I saw my thoughts spewing out, filling the sky with everything I am, everything I was, everything I would be. It was at once a blinding light and a winding path, showing me an incomprehensible glimpse at my mind, laid bare to the elements.

It was like looking down at an endless labyrinth, stretching out to forever; and in its centre, a reflection of my soul.

The power was limitless, the temptation irresistible – because as jumbled as it was, there were _threads, _strings of fate and destiny that called to me, begging me to follow. The paths were there. I just had to walk them.

Then it was over. The power of augury touched me for a second, and it was already too much. Reyna fell to her knees, retching. But Octavian…

Augury enveloped him, embraced him, wrapping tighter than fire ever could. The flames killing the screaming wolves around us was a parlour trick, pathetic in the face of such power.

He tilted his head back. His eyes, always possessed by a crazed desire for power, now overflowed with it. Octavian started muttering words I couldn't hear. I doubt I would have understood, anyway.

"Percy," Reyna croaked. I tore my eyes off Octavian and saw her struggle to her feet, pointing. The burning wolves had started to roll on the ground to douse the flames. Even more reinforcements had arrived. The oil had almost run out, the ring of fire dying.

Reyna pushed them back, jabbing with her spear. I moved to follow her lead, but she waved me away.

"The bag!" Reyna shouted, her voice returning to its full strength – no, even stronger, as if our increasingly dire situation just made her more determined. I obeyed on instinct and tossed her the bag. She caught it in one hand and crouched, turning away from the wolves, trusting that I would understand what she was doing.

I didn't. But I did know she needed help. I covered Reyna, taking her place in batting away the wolves. I took the time to switch to the spear before continuing. It was more effective, but it wasn't enough. I still fought.

Then Reyna returned by my side. She stuck out her spear and held it, as if tempting them to bite at it. One wolf took the bait, and Reyna reacted with lightning speed, whirling her spear like a quarterstaff and hitting it on the back of the head with the butt.

Somehow it was glowing even brighter than usual. Then I realized that it was on fire. Reyna had wrapped both ends of her spear with clothes from the bag and torched them. Now she fought for real, wielding her spear like one of those Hawaiian fire dancers.

She bought me much more time than I did, and good thing, too. It took much longer for me to tie clothes around my spear. While I knelt, frantically wrapping shirts and underwear to my Imperial gold weapon, I spared a few glances to Octavian. He was still caught in a trance, gesturing with his hands at nothing. At least the wolves left him alone. For now.

When I came back to Reyna, our combined efforts were enough to ward off the wolves. But like any intelligent hunter, they knew when they were outmatched and backed off, in search for easier prey. Their eyes flitted away for just a moment, but comprehension dawned on me immediately.

"They're going for Octavian!" I yelled. I didn't look to see if Reyna followed me and rushed to my friend's defence. I didn't dare touch him. The best I could do was stand uncomfortably close to the fire and fight there. I never really appreciated it, but training in full armour must have given me some resistance to heat or something, because I lasted for far longer than I thought I could.

Reyna and I formed a protective ring around him. In that awkward position we couldn't use reckless spins without hitting Octavian. We had to resort to jabs – faster, but a lot less effective. They slowly overwhelmed us. The flames heated my spear, slowly scalding my hands. My clothes stuck to my skin with sweat. My arms grew heavy. When did the spear become so heavy?

A touch on the shoulder almost made me jump. I risked a look back to see Octavian, with a worryingly calm expression. A particularly ambitious wolf demanded my attention, but I could hear Octavian run to the pump again.

"Get back," he called out sharply. Reyna and I retreated, covered by Octavian's second barrage of gasoline. It was a wonder that the fire didn't trail all the way back and blow up the station. Octavian kept it moving constantly, twisting the stream to redirect the flames. Soon the ring of fire burned anew. If anything, it seemed even brighter.

"Come on," Octavian commanded with an authority I never heard from him before.

We followed him out of the gas station, leaping through the flames, trusting in our clothes to take the brunt of the damage. For once I was happy to wear jeans. My unprotected arms suffered from the heat, but it wasn't too bad. I could keep moving.

The three of us dashed into the main road. Octavian led us further into the truckstop, away from the outskirts and towards the bright lights of the main building. Instead of taking the more direct route, however, Octavian went through the parking lot, where there were still mortals milling around in cars and on foot. They gawked at us as we ran past, but soon scattered, screaming. The wolves must have caught up.

Now I knew why he led us here. The confusing jumble of cars made it difficult to track us even with our flaming spears. Panicked mortals and speeding cars threatened to hit us way too many times, but the same was true for the pack of wolves. They were faster, stealthier, and stronger than us, but that just made it harder for the drivers to avoid hitting them. Skidding wheels and the crash of bumpers sounded behind us, laced with the growling of wolves.

We must have passed through dozens of parking spots. Navigating the endless sea of vehicles was almost more lethal than fighting the wolves. Twice we were almost run over. I had to constantly vault over hoods. At one point an eighteen-wheeler jammed the roads and forced us to crawl under it. Reyna and I had to dismiss our spears or risk setting the gas tank on fire.

Disarmed, disgruntled, and smelling like motor oil, we scurried to the main building. It looked more like a shopping mall than a truckstop at first, though a quick scan of the list of stores reminded me that they were all designed to fit a trucker's needs.

We shuffled past a group of curious mortals exiting the squat building, looking to see what all the commotion was about. It was difficult to move past the tide, but we inched our way indoors. Maybe it was a good thing that we didn't have our spears out. Then the people's whispers turned into shouts, and blaring cars gave way to the thundering of wolves.

It was easier to move in the panic: people were running away from Lycaon's pack, and we were free to shove past them without drawing attention. We burst inside, the sudden light and airconditioned wind stunning me for a second.

"Where are we going?" I demanded.

"Just follow me," Octavian replied without looking back.

Sprinting through an empty mall is a unique experience. The three of us took no time to enjoy it, as the wolves finally entered. Our head start was keeping us alive, but we picked up the pace anyway. We ran even faster than in the forests outside the Wolf House, filled with purpose instead of fear. Or maybe it's because we didn't have an immortal wolf goddess to protect us this time.

We ran past tacky restaurants and department stores. Octavian navigated through the mall like he'd done it a million times before. Finally, he slid to a halt, deep inside in a secluded corner, deserted long before the wolves arrived. I glanced at the sign outside before we forced ourselves into a cramped room.

"What are we doing inside a clinic?" I asked.

"Trust me!" Octavian snapped. "Now hold them off."

"What?"

"Just give me a minute!"

Reyna and I didn't have time to complain. I shut the door and tried to look for something to barricade it. Reyna grabbed a chair and held it against the handle just before an enormous weight banged against it. I moved in a frenzy, grasping a table and flipping it over with a yell. Paper and stationery covered the floor, making it even harder to move, but I succeeded in holding it against the doorframe diagonally.

The thin plastic door was already denting in the exposed corners, on the top left and bottom right, popping hinges off. We summoned our spears and prepared for the inevitable; her on the left, me on the right. The wolves forced their way inside, fangs first, as the straining door could hold no more. Reyna and I thrusted through the holes in a desperate game of whack-a-mole, where the moles were impossible to hit, and the cost of losing was our lives.

My hands were slashed just once, and it was almost enough to make me drop my weapon. Reyna fought with grim determination even as a grasping claw raked her cheek.

"Reyna, get over here!" Octavian yelled.

"Are you insane?" Reyna yelled back.

"Trust me! If you can't – at least trust Percy!"

Our eyes met for a second. I gave a sharp nod, and Reyna retreated. Now I had to do two impossible things at once.

I stabbed at the lower hole with my spear one-handedly. With no other choice, I used my bare hands to ward off the wolves from the other hole, punching at their snouts. For one delusional moment, it was working. Then I mistimed my punches and fangs grazed my hand.

I pulled back in time to avoid getting it torn off, but a set of jaws clamped on my forearm instead. The wolf sank its teeth into me, cleaving my flesh like it was nothing and crushing my bones. I screamed in pain, tears and spittle flying out.

Then the wolf started shaking its head violently and dragged me closer. I felt my arm popping off its socket as I slammed to the door, weapon forgotten. All I could see was red, clouded by my own blood and desperation. Agony like I never felt filled my arm in ten different places, excruciatingly tearing muscle and tendons. Death seemed like an escape.

A flash of gold moved above me. There was a surprised grunt and the wolf released me. I collapsed on the ground.

Sprawled in the mess, I faded in and out of consciousness. I could just make out Reyna jabbing into the holes with her spear and the wolves yelping in… pain? What was going on?

I saw Octavian grabbing my weapon and tying something at the butt. Something small and shiny. A scalpel? It gleamed like ordinary steel. Or… or silver.

He joined the fray, covering the other opening with a crazed energy. Confused barks sounded on the other side, met with angry snarls. Then everything was silent.

All I could see was the ceiling light above. My arm had gone numb. I was going into shock, but I could still feel something wet and sticky running down my skin.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Octavian crowed. "Did you see that, Per – "

He froze when he saw me. A shuffling of feet. Then a concerned face loomed above. I could see his lips moving, but I couldn't hear anything. Soon, I couldn't feel anything. Eventually I couldn't see anything, and then I drifted into nothing.


	7. Chapter 7

When I was 10 years old, I broke my wrist falling off a skateboard. I'm pretty good at it now and haven't gotten more than a bruise or a skinned knee since then, but I'll never forget that first fall. There was a sickening crunch when my bones snapped, followed by a lot of pain, then total numbness. It was only after the accident that the real torture began. A constant, bone-deep ache that wormed into my hand, arm, shoulder, and back, in every waking moment.

This was the same thing a hundred times over. Instead of wrapping around the wrist, my entire forearm was sheathed in that pain. As I came into consciousness, I felt it before I even opened my eyes. It took a second to focus. A blank wall of slate-grey was ahead of me. There were people talking over a steady drone, and everything seemed to be jostling slightly. I opened my mouth to speak and found it too dry to form words. A raspy croak was all that escaped my lips.

"Whoa, hey," someone said. Octavian appeared, looking down on me with blue eyes brimming with concern. My senses came back to me and I realized I was lying flat on the ground. I tried to sit up and gasped at the shock of pain from my left arm. I almost blacked out. A set of hands caught me.

"Try not to move," Octavian gently. "You're hurt pretty bad."

"How bad?" I whispered. There was a pause before he answered.

"It's best if you don't see."

"He deserves to know," another voice said, more feminine, but more commanding. Reyna.

Octavian frowned. "I guess you're right," he sighed. "Let's help him sit straight."

There was some shuffling, then four steady hands helped me up. It took a solid five minutes since I cried out with almost every movement. They had to lift my shoulders and push me against a wall as slow as possible and even then, the pain left me shaking.

We were in a long rectangular room with shelves lining one wall, covered in stacked cardboard boxes of all shapes and sizes. Our stuff was stashed in the bottom row alongside a small red first aid kit. I leaned on the opposite wall while my friends took a step back to inspect me.

They were mostly unharmed. Octavian had a bulge under his shirt that I knew from experience would be a bandage. Reyna sported a band-aid on her cheek that covered most of a scratch, though it peeked out through both ends a little.

"How are you feeling?" Octavian asked. I tried to smile, but my lips were so dry I thought they would bleed on contact with each other.

"I'm good," I said. "Is there any water?"

Octavian cursed and rushed to search a backpack.

"I told you," Reyna scolded. "Even after giving him nectar, he'll still need water. I thought you were the healer."

"Yeah, yeah, save it for later," Octavian grumbled. He pulled out a bottle and brought it to my mouth, letting me sip tiny amounts at my own pace. It was clumsy work that spilled more water than I drank, but restored some level of vitality.

"Thanks," I said, my voice starting to return. "Got any food?"

Reyna had anticipated my request and handed me a chocolate bar. I bit into it and instantly felt better.

"Shouldn't you be more concerned about your arm?" Octavian mumbled over the sound of my chewing.

"He'll lose his appetite if he sees it," Reyna muttered. That was enough to make my stomach lurch and sparked my curiosity. I took a breath and looked at my arm.

It was wrapped in bandages, steadied with a splint, and propped into a sling. Even through all those layers I could still make out my arm and almost vomited. There were craggy fissures that sank deep through my skin. The bandage was looser in some places and I instinctively knew that it was because the flesh there had been torn off. I tried to tense my arm, expecting the pain, but when the muscles barely responded, I knew it was because they weren't there.

I inhaled sharply and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to put that gruesome image out of my head. It couldn't be real. It just couldn't. If it was, it would happen to some insane daredevil on Animal Planet like Bear Grylls, not me. It had to be fake.

"Told you," Reyna muttered.

"You're freaking him out," Octavian complained. I heard him kneel and felt him grab my shoulder. I reached out on instinct and grasped his hand, squeezing it in a white-knuckle grip.

"Look. I know how it looks, but it's not that bad. You're lucky we were in a clinic when you… when it happened. Reyna immediately cleaned and bandaged the wound, then set your arm. I shoved nectar and ambrosia down your throat, more than I would normally give, and added my own healing too."

"He tried to," Reyna confirmed. "But he can't sing to save his life."

"Hey, man, I did my best," Octavian huffed. "It was always Felix's thing, not mine. But it doesn't matter. Your wound starting healing immediately. A tiny bit even grew back, like you were regenerating or something."

I opened my eyes. "I… regenerated? How much nectar and ambrosia did you give me?"

"Everything we had," Octavian said.

"What? I could've died! How am I still alive?"

"It's because – "he cut off abruptly and looked to Reyna, as if asking for permission.

Reyna sighed, sitting down with legs stretched before continuing his explanation. "It's because of me. I have… gifts, too. I can give a burst of strength to myself and others. It works better the more people I affect, but it was good enough."

"The fight with the giants," I remembered. I released Octavian's hand and leaned back, starting to relax. The pain was still there, almost monotonous, but at least the fear was gone.

"Right," Octavian nodded vigorously. "It gave you all the stamina you needed. Reyna didn't just help you heal, she practically saved your arm."

He hesitated for a moment. "Not gonna lie, it looked pretty iffy at one point."

"Iffy?" I demanded.

"You, uh, started glowing a little. And smoking."

"How is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Octavian could only smile sheepishly. He proceeded to ramble about how they dressed the wound, how we'd have to treat it in the coming days, and what I should and shouldn't do to heal faster. It was more for his sake than mine: excessive babbling was his coping mechanism. I appreciated the familiar sight as I finished my chocolate. Then the whole room shook.

"Whoa," I said. "What just happened?"

"Hm? Probably a pothole or something," Octavian said distractedly.

"A pothole? Wait, are we in a truck?" I asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah," Octavian replied with a frown, as if it was obvious. "You didn't realize?"

"A delivery truck," Reyna confirmed. "UPS. The driver pulled up into the Iowa 80 to ask what was going on, and he was nice enough to give us a ride all the way to New York after he saw you. It took a lot of convincing to stop him from calling an ambulance."

"What did you tell him?"

"That we were runaways from abusive foster parents who would take us if we're found by CPS."

"That's… oddly specific."

"Yeah." Reyna offered no further explanation.

"We all fell asleep once we got inside. It's been about 12 hours since the mess in the truckstop, so if Google Maps is to be trusted, then we've got about 4 more hours to go until we reach New York City," Octavian explained with a grin. "We're finally close to finishing this stupid quest!"

"Right," I said, trying and failing to match his enthusiasm. It must've been the arm. I couldn't bring myself to feel anything but worry, and Octavian noticed.

"What's up? You look a little weirded out. Is it the arm?" he asked.

"Yeah. Well… maybe. I'm not sure. It just feels a little weird, coming home," I intoned awkwardly.

Octavian creased his brow. "I actually forgot that you used to live there. Won't it be good to go back to your neighborhood?"

"New York's more like a war zone than a neighborhood. But no, that's not really the problem. It's just… my mom's still there. I haven't seen her for more than two years now. Sure, we FaceTime and Skype a lot but it's not the same, you know?"

"I don't, actually, but don't let that stop you," Octavian said. He sat cross-legged in front of me and prepared for a longer talk. I didn't feel like opening up – it was always weird for me, I've never had someone to talk to – but I really have changed since arriving in Camp Jupiter. Not just in the awesome sword-fighting, monster-slaying way. I had people I can call friends, who seemed to know me better than I know myself.

Octavian waited for me to continue and must have sensed my hesitance, because he started talking first.

"Well," he said coaxingly, "I don't know how it feels to be separated from family. Not really. I've never been close with my parents, but I'd be terrified if I had to truly leave. Now that I think about it, I'm surprised you never brought up homesickness, being such a mama's boy."

"Nothing wrong with that," I murmured. Octavian snorted at my reply.

"You're the only one who thinks that, dude," he scoffed. "If you miss your mom that much, isn't going back a good thing? I mean we're running out of time, but if we're going to pass by your place in our search, one detour wouldn't hurt."

"It's not that," I sighed. "I guess I don't really want to meet her."

"You lost me."

"I don't know what she'll think of me. I know she'll freak out about my arm, but I don't want to come home and see her be disappointed in me. Or afraid for me. Cause then she might be disappointed in Camp Jupiter and force me stay with her."

"Percy, you're not a disappointment."

"I failed to win the tournament. I couldn't bring her to New Rome."

"That contest was rigged and you know it. Do you seriously think you could take on Jules in his prime? And even then, Marcus would just kill you too."

"Well, then what about the danger? You can't tell me with a straight face that living there is safe. Everything and everyone's constantly trying to kill you, and we haven't even fought in a real battle yet."

"It's worse if you stay in New York," Octavian insisted. "You know that it's crawling with monsters. You know that's where the gods live, and drawing their attention is even worse. At least in Camp Jupiter you have an entire legion of demigods to protect you. Not to mention friends, training, food, shelter, a school, an entire city to explore and enjoy. Nothing could beat that."

"The thing is… sometimes I _want _to go home."

An uncomfortably long silence passed as Octavian processed what I just said. I wondered if I crossed a line.

"Why?" was all he managed to say.

"I left my mom to deal with everything alone. Our lives sucked, but we had each other. Now I'm living an awesome life and she's stuck with Gabe. How is that fair? I feel like a traitor somehow," I sighed.

Octavian folded his arms. "Is this why you've been trying to get yourself killed? You're afraid to face your mom?"

"No, that was just me being stupid as usual."

"That's nothing compared to what you're saying now. Your mom wants you to be happy, like any normal parent. There's nothing for her in New York except the short-lived memory of a real family when your dad was… around. But have you considered that maybe it's not so bad for her that you're in Camp Jupiter?"

"I don't know if that's an insult to me or my mom, but I feel obligated to punch you," I frowned.

"Hear me out. Put yourself in her shoes. She's worried about you, first and foremost. Not doing well in school, unlikely to land a good job – don't deny it, you told me everything – no friends, terrible stepdad, nothing to look forward to. Now that you're in Camp Jupiter, she doesn't have to worry about all that. You're gone, but you brought your problems with you. That's a weight off her back."

"Okay," I said uncertainly. "It's still bad for her."

"Is it? Now that she's got pretty much the world to herself, she's free to do things. No clothes to buy, school to pay, mouth to feed. She might even rent out your room."

"She wouldn't," I said immediately.

"Okay, maybe not. But you get the idea."

"You're right," I said, this time with more conviction. I'd thought – selfishly, in hindsight – that I never considered my mom as her own person. We were an inseparable unit that'll fall apart without each other. Turns out that only happened to me.

"She might even start that book she keeps talking about, right?" Octavian asked.

I smirked. "The adventures of a woman who fell in love with a god. It's going to be a bestseller, guaranteed. Probably the easiest money she'll ever make, she just needs to write an autobiography."

"Exactly. And now that we've established how much of a burden you are, how are you feeling?"

"Insulted, but weirdly happier because of it," I grinned. I put out a fist and Octavian bumped it. "Thanks dude. Gods, I have no idea where I'll be if I didn't have you."

"Dead in an Arby's, probably," he laughed.

"Nah, I'd totally get away. That trick with the fire, I would've figured it out eventually."

"With your brain? Please."

"Hey, I'm not the one who thought it was a good idea to pull a chariot with my bare hands."

"If you weren't so bad with a spear, I wouldn't have needed to save your sorry ass."

"What – _I_ saved _you_!"

"By losing," Octavian scoffed.

"And it brought us here," I finished triumphantly.

"In the back of a truck with your arm mangled."

"Okay, maybe not the best time of my life," I admitted.

"What're you talking about? You've still got me, haven't you?" Octavian said, spreading his arms.

"Unfortunately," I grinned.

We both chuckled. A small, pathetic sound that barely counted as a laugh. But in that cramped, painful moment, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

"How do you do it?" Reyna asked. She almost made me jump, I'd forgotten she was there.

"Do what?" I said.

Reyna stared at me from her side of the truck. Even though she was just a few feet away, the way she sat and positioned herself set her apart from the two of us. Like a person watching through a one-way mirror. When I looked at her, Reyna had an inquisitive expression, and something else. Something like longing, and frustration.

"Talk," she said.

"Well," I said, drawing out the word, "it usually helps when you actually want to talk. Do you?"

"I – I think so," Reyna said, frowning, as if just discovering that she was allowed to open up.

"Second step is harder," Octavian said. "You'd have to find someone you actually want to talk to. But you've got us."

We both shot her wide grins. Reyna looked like she just bit into a lemon.

"What am I thinking?" she muttered.

"Nope," I said. "No takebacks. You already said you wanted to talk after hearing our beautiful conversation." Octavian nodded vigorously.

"I'm not sure if this is the right time," she mumbled.

"It's the perfect time. What else are we supposed to do?"

"This part of the quest is out of our hands," Octavian agreed. "As leader, I demand that you become a normal human being."

Reyna opened her mouth to talk, but then pursed her lips. I noticed that her shoulders had bunched up, like she was preparing to cut and run. Maybe a little more convincing was required.

"Well," I said slowly, "I guess it's weird if we go into the deep-dive stuff right off the bat. How bout we get the ball rolling first?"

She looked up at that.

"Sure, I guess," Octavian shrugged. "This is starting to feel like an AA meeting more than anything. But sure. Which one of us do you want to go first, and why is it Percy?"

"Actually, I'd rather start hearing from you," Reyna told Octavian.

"Me?" he repeated.

"You heard me," Reyna replied. "Percy's easier to understand."

"Thanks," I said.

"A stubborn idiot who cares too much for his friends."

"Well, now – "

"That's exactly right," Octavian smirked.

"It's you that I can't figure out," Reyna explained. "You're… weird. Obviously ambitious. But for once, I can't tell what's driving you. Or why you would hang out with someone like him."

"Hey!"

"Yeah, sometimes I ask myself that question too," he sighed, wrapping his hands behind his head and tilting it back.

"I don't know," Octavian shrugged. "I don't even know where to begin. My first day in the legion, maybe? No, that's too far back. How bout the day we met?"

"That's not so bad," I nodded. "But you're a different person before I showed up, or so I've been told."

Octavian lifted an eyebrow. "Oh? And what do people say?"

"Well," I said, collecting my thoughts, "it's a long story. Even before you were in the legion."

It was an awkward thing to do, telling another person's life story. Or would be an awkward thing to do, if it was anyone other than Octavian. I doubt I could have explained my own life with that much truth. It was much easier to do his.

Before long I was spilling out everything I knew of Octavian, the good and the bad, from friends, rumors, and the man himself. I talked about his childhood, driven from the beginning by an ambition nobody else could understand. I talked about the isolation he brought on himself as he worked to restore his family to its former glory.

I paused for a while. I've met his family several times over the years. They've always treated me like a son. Octavian always had to explain again to me why he resented them so much. What most people would call a carefree happiness, he calls blithe ignorance. It's the only thing we really disagreed on – we could always chalk up our differences as personality traits or habits or whatever, but I could never accept the fact that he took a loving family for granted. Though I would never say it out loud, sometimes I feel that he's a bit ungrateful. A lot of times I wonder if he considered me blinded by their happy exterior.

There was a lot of conflicting emotions. One glance at Octavian and I knew to skim that part. But everything else, I laid out to Reyna with detail that surprised even me. And since Octavian didn't interrupt me once, I must have done a pretty good job.

"Wow," Reyna muttered after I finished. "That explains a lot."

"I can never tell if you're being sarcastic," Octavian said.

Reyna shrugged. "You were sheltered. I suppose that's why you can't stand not getting what you want."

"What?" Octavian bristled.

"And your stubbornness," she murmured. "Nobody ever told you there are some things that are impossible, so you think nothing is. Maybe that's admirable."

"Thank you?" Octavian said stiffly. I hated to see my friends fighting for whatever reason, yet there they were, sitting next to each other but leaning as far away as possible.

"That's pretty much everything I know about Octavian," I said quickly. "Which is pretty much everything."

"I know even more about him, though," Octavian grumbled. "Do you want to hear it, or are you just going to insult him too?"

"I'll listen," Reyna replied. There was no inflection in her words and they still carried a hint of acidity. Octavian huffed, and started to tell my story.

"Percy was born and raised in Manhattan," he started. "To Neptune and Sally Jackson. The way he describes her, his mom was the goddess, and I can't really disagree: always there for him, always loving, always caring. No matter what. But for whatever reason she remarried with a tool called Gabe Ugliano, and they've been stuck in a tiny apartment and their own misery. Percy sucked at everything, and even with his mom, his life sucked too."

I opened my mouth to interject and found that I couldn't. He really did summarize my life in a few short sentences.

"Then he arrived in Camp Jupiter," Octavian grinned. "I still remember that day. He came screaming and running around like a headless chicken with the Minotaur at his tail. We killed it together – the first time I fought with him. Even before he controlled the Little Tiber, I knew he was weird. Something about him…. Well. Maybe the hints of augury had already started back then, now that I think about it."

"Anyway, everybody hated him. They thought he was a fraud or a joke. After all, the first child of the Big Three in generations – and it's Neptune's kid. Nobody would accept him except for us, and even that took a while," Octavian explained.

"I think I made a pretty good impression," I mumbled.

"Shush, it's my turn to embarrass you. So, this kid showed up, saying he was the son of Neptune and that he killed the Minotaur with barely any training – nobody took him seriously. When he started blabbering about Titans and Saturn, even I started to have doubts. But like I said, there's something about him. He can talk anyone into believing him better than I ever could. It's like trying to tell a puppy that he can't eat treats forever, you just start feeling bad," he chuckled.

"Then he and I made a promise to become praetors together. I thought I was the only person I can trust with that position, but that changed when I met Percy. Eventually we believed him, and soon we trusted him. Even me. Almost died for him in the Bellator Torneamentum, a competition that only happens once a year and the fastest way to prove ourselves. There was a chariot race, and in true Roman fashion, we all cheated. But things got out of control. They cut our reins, and I had to hold the horses myself."

"Wouldn't that expose you?" Reyna asked.

Octavian nodded and fell silent. A vacant expression settled on his eyes as he relived that moment. Vanessa and Felix already fallen, Octavian shot with arrows, and me screwing up when my friends needed me the most. I felt the guilt wrench my heart once more. That will never happen again. My friends won't suffer because of me.

"It was the worst pain I ever felt," Octavian breathed. "Torn apart and stabbed repeatedly. Then we failed anyway. I still feel ashamed for losing. But somehow, I don't regret it. Because I succeeded at making the best friend I'll ever have."

"I'm even more confused," Reyna frowned. "How are you two even friends? It sounds like you'd hate each other."

"I wonder about that too sometimes," I spoke up. "Maybe it's destiny. Maybe Octavian's not that bad of a person. He was the first person who didn't treat me like garbage. That has to count for something."

Reyna brought her dark eyebrows in a frown. She seemed ready to retort, but refrained from doing so and shrugged instead.

"Alright," she muttered.

"What's wrong?" I asked, trying to ease her back into the conversation.

"If even opposites like you can be friends," Reyna said slowly, "then why am I still alone?"

"Because you don't trust people," Octavian said frankly. "You can't expect others to care for someone with nothing in return. It's a two-way street."

"But if I do that, then they can backstab me," Reyna said.

"And if you don't, you're only hurting yourself," I said gently, shooting Octavian a dirty look.

"He's right," Octavian said. "You just need to trust the other person. I never thought I'd be friends with someone like Percy either. But the idiot trusted me from the start, opened like a book, and laid out his soul. He'd never backstab me, and neither will I. It just doesn't work that way."

"And you can trust us," I assured her.

"Why?" she demanded.

"Because we trust you."

"That doesn't really make sense," Reyna complained. I gave a one-shoulder shrug and shot her a grin each time she met my eyes. There was the old reluctance, now mixed with restrained excitement.

"Alright," Reyna acceded. "Alright. I'll try." She took a deep breath before continuing. She would flick her gaze to me every now and then but avoided Octavian's gaze.

"I was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and lived there for most of my life. Just me, my sister, and our father. We were never rich, but always happy. At least that's what Hylla tells me. Our father came back from Afghanistan after I was born. My sister said he was strong, tough, and fair. All I remembered was a bitter, paranoid old man. I only respected him because Hylla told me to, while she practically raised me herself. She was more of a parent than he ever was. So when he threw a chair at her, I just snapped. I took a sabre off our wall, and…"

Reyna squeezed her eyes shut, her breathing becoming labored. "I didn't mean to do it. I didn't want to hurt him, just wave it around and scare him off. But I knew how to use that weapon the second I touched it… and cut him."

"That doesn't sound so bad," I tried to reassure her. She shook her head.

"You don't understand. It was Imperial gold. They're not just deadly to monsters – they vaporize almost anything they touch."

"They – what?" I gaped. "You killed – "

"Worse," Reyna whispered. "It wasn't a mortal wound. He lingered as a shade between life and death, like the ghosts back in camp. But a piece of his mind must have shattered when his body was destroyed. He got even more abusive. You wouldn't think a ghost could be, but it got so bad that we left our home. Hylla and I lived on the streets for years. And it was all my fault."

She inhaled a shaky breath. "But one day, we got a second chance. A beautiful young woman started approaching us, and it didn't take long for her to realize that we were demigods. We promised to trust only each other, but I was so hungry… Hylla caved in first. The woman told us that she was a nymph, a handmaiden of the witch Circe. She took us in. She brought us to the Sea of Monsters. And we were happy there."

"You were happy in a place called the Sea of Monsters?" I asked.

"It's a deathtrap for mortals and demigods," Reyna nodded. "The Bermuda Triangle, the mortals call it. But with a patroness like Circe looking out for you, it was paradise. Food, shelter, friends, safety, a mother. And all she asked in return is loyalty. We did things there – horrible things to strangers who came to our island. But I would always look the other way. She protected us, after all. Who was I to complain?"

"Then a few months ago, two demigods arrived at our shores. They came on a rowboat of all things. Two teenagers our age, both blond, both wearing orange shirts. My lady did her magic and trapped them like everybody else, but somehow the girl escaped her. She released the other prisoners while they made their escape. Hylla and I were captured by the pirates."

"Pirates?" Octavian blubbered. "You had pirates for prisoner?"

"Blackbeard himself," Reyna muttered. I would've laughed if it weren't for the agony written all over face.

"He might have killed us if we were weaker. All my life, I hated my mother. She's the goddess of war, after all – and war was what started everything. But I learned to be grateful in those days, those stolen nights when Hylla and I took blades and learned how to fight back. It was as easy as breathing for us. Before long, we surprised the pirates, and escaped back to the mainland. We couldn't save anyone else. I don't know where they are now. Or if they're alive."

"I was so happy to be back on solid ground. A new place, a fresh start, and this time we weren't scared little girls. We were warriors. And from the gossiping nymphs, we learned more about ourselves, the gods, the monsters. We were ready to face anything. Me and her against the world," Reyna said bitterly.

"What happened?" I asked.

"She got tired of me. I… I must have been too weak. I wanted to go to Camp Jupiter to live with other demigods, but Hylla didn't trust anyone except herself. Not even me. We went our separate ways, and… and I never saw her again."

The unthinkable happened. Teardrops fell on her lap as Reyna bowed her head. Octavian and I pretended not to notice, looking the other way while she wiped her eyes and steadied herself. Reyna regained her stoic composure and stared back with hard eyes.

"That's everything about me. I am a murderer, a weakling, and an orphan. And now I ask you to trust me," she said deadpan.

An uncomfortably long silence stretched out once more. The girl I thought was my friend had killed her father, lived with a witch, fought pirates, and was abandoned by her own sister. It might have been horrible, but she was just making the most out of a bad situation each time. That doesn't mean she's a bad person. I hated my stepdad – not enough to kill him, of course – but if he had hurt my mom? Nothing could have stopped me from fighting back.

"That's a lot to swallow," Octavian spoke up after a while. I floundered for the right words.

"But it's not so bad," he continued. "I mean, sure, it got pretty dark. But most of the stuff you did, you did for your sister and yourself. You had to survive somehow."

"Yeah," I said hurriedly. "You were just dealt a bad hand. That's all."

"Maybe I can believe that if it only happened once," Reyna said, her voice hollow. "But the bad things just keep coming. I keep disgusting myself. And I keep surviving to do more terrible deeds. How can that be justified?"

"Stop it," Octavian snapped. "I've been there before. Maybe I didn't have it as bad as you, but I've told myself those exact words again and again. I felt like I deserved all that's happened to me. Then one day, I met a certain dumbass demigod, and I started to think that maybe I deserve to be happy. And I did. It's all in your head."

"Being shot full of arrows and almost dying is a good thing?" Reyna said dryly.

"Having purpose is a good thing," Octavian replied. "And believing that I was doing good is even better. It hurt. I doubted myself, and I still do, but it's so much better than hating myself. That's a downward spiral with no escape."

"Are you telling me that if I just forgive myself, so will everyone else? My father will stop hating me? The pirates will forgive me? My sister will love me again?" Reyna demanded. Her voice picked up speed, becoming harsher with every word.

"I don't know," I said quietly. "That's not for anyone to decide. But how can they forgive someone who believes she's evil?"

Reyna turned away, scowling. I switched tactics and tried to get her talking again.

"What do you want?" I asked. "You're free to think only of yourself now. What is it that you want most?"

"Power," she said instantly. "To be so strong that nobody can hurt me or anyone I love ever again."

"Why?"

"I just told you."

"Why is it so important?"

"Because…" she hesitated for a moment, unable to voice her thoughts, or perhaps surprised at what she wanted to say.

"Because that way, nobody will ever leave me again," Reyna whispered. "I can be safe. I can be loved. I won't ever be weak, so I won't ever be alone."

I thought that an honest conversation with Reyna would help me help her. That seemed like the only missing piece – information. At first, I assumed that her story wouldn't be too different from me or any of my friends, and now I found myself at a loss for words. Even if I gave the best advice, why would she listen to me? She'd been through so much already. My problems seemed trivial next to hers.

I had no idea what to say. But I'll be damned if I didn't at least try. The calm and collected fighter I knew Reyna to be vanished. Even with her shoulders back, her chin up, and her back straight, there was no mistaking the scared girl she was trying to hide.

"That's stupid," Octavian scoffed. Reyna scowled at him and her voice went deadly quiet.

"Excuse me?"

"It's stupid," Octavian shrugged. "That's no way to live. Even if you got what you want, it won't be what you need. You're not protecting anyone. You're just taking them hostage, trying to be invaluable to people so they won't leave you. It's not the same thing."

Reyna looked at me for support, but I found myself agreeing with Octavian. Though he could have said it nicer, I doubt it was what she needed right now.

"He's right," I realized. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you've never had someone to look up to. Octavian's got me, and I've got my mom. We have someone to screw our heads on straight. You're… a little lost right now."

"Are you kidding me? You have no idea what I've been through. I thought that you could understand me, or at least sympathize. Your problems are nothing compared to mine. You've had it easy your entire life, and now you're lecturing me?" Reyna seethed.

"That's true," I admitted. "It's also true that we would've had it just as bad if we didn't have someone to guide us."

"I had my sister," she snapped.

"The sister who left you? The one who brought you to live with a literal witch?" Octavian said.

"My sister is the greatest person I know," Reyna growled. "She raised me while she was a child herself."

"Then she abandoned you."

"If you say one more word, I'm – "

"That's enough, Octavian," I barked. He leaned back on the palms of his hands and fell silent, though they continued to glare at each other.

"Octavian's a firm believer of tough love," I apologized. "He just wanted to say that your sister might not be the best person. She did leave you, after all."

"That was my fault," Reyna sighed. "I was a burden. I can't blame her for doing something I would do in her position."

"Have you ever considered the possibility that she left because she thought you're strong enough to look after yourself?"

"I… no. If that were true, then I would be fine now. But I'm still that scared little girl in Puerto Rico."

"Of course. You put your sister on a pedestal and worship her, treat her like a goddess, then try to be like her while convincing yourself that you're worthless. It's like running a marathon, but you keep moving the finish line back and shooting yourself in the foot."

She fell silent, and I pressed the attack.

"You're not your sister. You tried to be like her, so the real you - that scared little girl - got left behind."

"Then who am I?"

"I don't know. I just know it isn't this."

Reyna averted her gaze. Her conflicting emotions hung above her like a storm cloud, threatening to lash out at anything that came too close. I had a hard time reading her body language at first, but as I grew used to her tendency to hide every emotion, the small tics became more apparent. She turned her body away from Octavian and I and leaned even further back.

Maybe we made some progress. Right now, she clearly needed space.

"What do you want?" she whispered.

"What?" I asked.

"Aren't we supposed to be honest with each other? You asked what I wanted most in the world. Now I'm asking you."

"Alright," I said. "Fair enough."

What did I want? It's certainly not power. That's just a means to an end. The endgame, the most important thing to me…

"Family," I said. "Nothing's more important than family."

"I thought you wanted your mother to stay in New York."

"You don't have to be related to be family. Octavian, Alex, Vanessa, Felix, Jules, Dakota, and you. Everyone who's fought for me in any way. That's family. I'm still working on the how, but I'll make sure that we'll all make it. I'll drag you from the Underworld if I have to."

"Crazy bastard would do it, too," Octavian grinned.

"And you?" Reyna asked him.

"The same as him. And you. I don't see why power can't be both a means to an end and a goal. I want to restore the legion to its former glory. To lead it into a future where they won't be any wars, or suicide missions, or backstabbing. Just peace. And unlike Percy, I know how to do it."

"Do you want me to ask, or do you want to savor the dramatic pause for a little longer?"

"It's not impossible to do both." Octavian paused, struggling to get the words out of his mouth.

"The Sibylline books."

"Huh?" I grunted.

"Ancient books of prophecy. It's said to contain knowledge of every pivotal moment that will happen to Rome. The ancient Romans turned to them only in the most desperate crisis, and each time, they would find a path to victory."

The devouring flames burned in Octavian's eyes, the same crazy look I saw when I first met him. But it had intensified. Now, the curse of augury gave fuel to the fire.

"Can you imagine? Seeing everything that will come to pass? Solving every problem before they happened? Defeating enemies before they attack? If we had those books, we could have prepared for this war. We could have sought out Saturn and send him back to Tartarus before he even wakes. There won't be any more conflict."

"That sounds fatally optimistic," Reyna commented.

"Those books were written by the augurs of ancient Rome," Octavian sniffed. "If it worked then, they'll work now."

"If they're so powerful, why did the empire fall?"

"Because they were lost in a fire. Or so they say. Some believe that they were stolen or intentionally destroyed. There are even theories that there are those who remember the texts. And wherever they are, I'll find them. That's why I want to be praetor so bad. That's how I'll make my family proud. Now, with augury, I can finally do it."

"I thought you wanted to be praetor to lead the legion," I frowned.

"Of course! Who's better suited to lead than a man who can see the future?"

"Can't really argue with that," I mumbled.

"You see?" Octavian proclaimed. "It's important. The most important thing any legionary can do."

"Then let's use them against the Titans," Reyna said.

Octavian shook hid head. "It might be too late for that. Prophecies are to prevent disasters from happening. We're already in the middle of one."

"It's not that bad," I scoffed.

"Jules is so desperate, he's relying on the three of us to save the world."

"We're doing alright."

"We almost died in an Arby's. Your arm's about to fall off. And now we're in the back of a UPS truck with no idea where to find the first king of Rome."

"Well, if you say it like that…"

"It's too late for this war," Octavian said firmly. "But not for the next. And every war to come."

"Then let's hurry up and finish this thing," I grinned. "We've got some books to find."

Octavian beamed at me. "Thanks, dude. I knew I could count on you."

We bumped fists and started discussing our search in New York. We had no leads aside from the immortal augur who's supposed to magically find us, but we had a few ideas that were surprisingly not stupid.

Reyna pitched in from time to time. She listened more than she talked, as usual, but whenever she voiced her thoughts, the words were less forceful, more conversational. Before today, Reyna would always speak like she was being held hostage. Always stiff and restrained. That changed.

That was one impossible task completed. Maybe this one wouldn't be so hard.


	8. Chapter 8

"This is impossible," I grumbled.

"Would you shut up?" Octavian snapped. "Just keep looking."

I sighed and resumed my search, if you could call it that. Loitering in the Museum of Natural History in New York didn't feel very productive. It was one of the places where we decided Romulus might be hiding. After all, where else would an ancient being hide? Among its own kind, of course. At least that was the hope.

My already dwindling confidence wavered as I scanned the crowd. A bunch of old people and hipsters, with a few kids sprinkled here and there. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I doubt it was that.

We went straight for the ancient history section of the museum and covered the whole area in a few minutes. When we turned up empty-handed, the three of us decided to split up and search the rest of the place. It took a while to realize that we had no way of communicating with each other without alerting every monster in Manhattan, and even longer to meet up again. Hours had passed by the time we rendezvoused, so all three of us were cranky as we power-walked through each section together.

"He's not here," I sighed. We'd come to the most crowded area filled with paintings from like a hundred years ago or something, depicting blurry objects in dull colors that reflected our mood.

I plopped down on a bench. Reyna glared at a painting of a ship with arms folded while Octavian paced across the room, a stormy expression clouding his face.

"It was our best guess, but we need to keep moving," he mumbled. "We're burning daylight here. And we can't afford another fight with Lycaon's wolves, not with Percy injured. The second most likely place… uh…"

"A nursing home?" I suggested.

"No, he can't be old. He's immortal."

"That doesn't make sense."

"You know what I mean. Can you imagine a god being frail and senile? I can't. There's no way he'd choose a weak form. We've got to look for a guy in the prime of his life. The embodiment of Rome."

"I doubt we'll find someone like that in a museum," Reyna commented. "The park, maybe? Or a gym?"

"Sure, let's search Central Park for one specific person. Or better yet, one of the hundreds of gyms here," Octavian said scathingly.

"Just a suggestion," Reyna muttered.

"We need more than that," he snapped. "We need direction."

"Well, we've got that, right? Why don't you just use augury to find where he is?" I asked,

"Um… I need a stuffed animal. I only brought one with me."

"Are you kidding? This is New York, man. You can't go anywhere without walking into a million souvenir shop. Come on, let's get out of here."

"But - but I'll also need a fire," Octavian sputtered.

"Even easier, we'll just find a hobo. Pay him candy bars or something so we can use his dumpster fire."

"I guess you're right," he mumbled. I got to my feet while Octavian pursed his lips and stared at his feet, apparently forgetting everything I just said.

"Why are you so nervous?" I demanded. "This isn't like you, man. You know we're on a clock."

"I know," Octavian sighed. "It's just… the last time I used augury your arm got messed up."

"Don't lie to yourself. You know that's not your fault."

Octavian met my gaze, uncharacteristic worry pinching his face. "What if I screw up?"

I slapped him.

It took a second for me to process what I just did and even longer for him. He blinked several times, as if just waking, and looked more offended than hurt.

"Dude, you need to stop doubting yourself," I growled, grabbing him by the front of his shirt with a single hand and shaking him as best I could. "You saved our lives back in Iowa. You're a real augur. You're our leader. Now get it together so we can get this over with."

Octavian nodded, with conviction this time, and drew himself up. He took a deep breath and slapped himself a little.

"Thanks, Percy," he grinned. "Needed that. Let's get going. I think I saw a sloth in the gift shop here."

We made our way to the exit, Octavian in the lead, animated by his old enthusiasm.

"Is he always like that?" Reyna whispered as we approached the exit.

"Not really," I replied. "He's just not used to being the center of attention."

"Could've fooled me," she mumbled.

"He's not so bad," I said defensively. "I don't understand why everyone hates him so much. He didn't do anything wrong."

Reyna looked at me with something like pity. "If you say so," she said with a shrug.

She was opening up, sure, but I had a feeling she wouldn't stop being snarky anytime soon.

The three of us spooked out the elderly cashier in the gift shop as we barged in together. I wondered what she saw. A tall blond dude who's built like a basketball player but looked like a serial killer, a dark-skinned girl with a braid and a completely expressionless face, and a loser with a goofy smile and an arm in a sling. We were definitely heroes - nobody else could be this tired.

We paid for our overpriced doll and headed out to the streets. The acrid scent of exhaust and cigarette smoke tinged with a hint of urine flooded my senses. It smelled like home.

This time, I took the lead. The crowded streets of New York forced us to walk single file, but I trusted my friends to keep up. They had legionary training, after all. They might survive Manhattan.

I shouldered past people rushing around, talking into their phones or huddling into their clothes, bumping into the occasional tourist. We don't get a lot of those so late into the summer, but they were a constant presence here. Soon the familiar hubbub drowned any conscious thought from my head as I joined the crowd in walking at an almost obsessive speed.

These streets were my home more than my apartment ever was. Before I was brought to the Wolf House, I'd spend most of my days out here to avoid my stepdad. It felt like meeting an old friend.

We cut through Central Park. The well-maintained oasis of greenery had the same unnatural pristine I remembered. Oddly, I found the wilder and more barren lands of Camp Jupiter to be more appealing now.

"Where are you taking us?" Octavian huffed.

"Train station," I managed to say. "Homeless people usually gather round there."

"Wasn't there one near the museum?" Reyna asked.

I brought up a mental map of Manhattan and realized she was right. We were closer to the destination I had in mind at this point, but would have reached a station by now if I were more sensible. What was I thinking?

And it hit me. The familiar buildings, Central Park, this route… it led back to my apartment near Queensboro bridge. My mom was still in my mind after all.

"More hobos there," I lied. "The city likes to keep the station near the Museum clear so tourists don't get scared off."

Reyna nodded, but Octavian raised an eyebrow. I bit my lip and turned away. Now wasn't the time.

Soon enough, we arrived to the station. It didn't take long to find a dark alley where a bunch of ragged men and women congregated and some poor guy huddled next to a fire in a trash can. We approached him without too much trouble, though we got several concerned looks from pedestrians. A few creeps leered at Reyna, but she glared back with enough hostility for them to keep their distance. For now.

"Hey man," I called out cheerfully. "Can we use your fire for a while? We'll give some cash for a couple minutes alone with it." I waved Octavian forward, who fished out a few twenties from his pocket.

"Sure, I guess," he rasped. "Just don't put it out." If he was at all surprised to see three sweaty kids ask to use his fire, one holding a stuffed animal, he didn't show it. I love New York.

"Appreciate it," I said.

Reyna and Octavian mumbled their thanks, handing him the dollar bills. Octavian spared a furtive look around, realized that nobody would care about a knife, and pulled out his weapon.

"Keep a lookout," he instructed. Reyna and I gave a nod and reached for our coins. We positioned ourselves to either side of the trash can so we could look over each other's shoulders while still facing Octavian. He took a deep breath, held the sloth over the fire, and cut it open.

The overwhelming power of augury didn't explode from him like the first time. Instead, wisps of ethereal smoke mingled with the ordinary tongues of flame. Octavian didn't go into a trance, either. He had his eyes shut tight, his brow furrowed and beaded with sweat. I hoped that meant he had more control.

He stood frozen for a worrying amount of time. It gave me plenty of chances to look around. A few curious glances our way, but most of them minded their own business. An enormously fat man pushing a trolley entered the alley, though he had no obvious weapon. At least there were no wolves.

After I lost track of time, Octavian gasped and fluttered his eyes open. I grabbed his wrist to steady him.

"Are you okay?" I demanded. "Did it work? What did you see?"

"It worked," he muttered. "I think."

"Did you find him?" Reyna pressed.

"Not exactly. I saw… a horse. An old man…"

"Gods, is he in the Hamptons?" I groaned. Long Island was hours away.

"And an elephant," Octavian finished.

"Like a statue of an elephant?" Reyna said, frowning.

"No, like a real live elephant."

"Are you sure you did it right?"

"I'm pretty sure I know what an elephant looks like."

"How can there be an elephant in New York?"

"We have a zoo," I spoke up. "Why the hell would he be in a zoo, though?"

"You can ask him later," Octavian grinned. "What're you waiting for? Take us there."

"Are you kidding? There are five zoos in New York! Visiting and searching all of them is going to take all day," I cried out.

"Well then we're going to have to go to each one," Octavian snapped.

"Can't we narrow it down? They can't all have elephants," Reyna suggested.

"Probably, but we have no way to do that," I replied.

"Haven't you been to any of them?" she asked.

"Maybe one when I was like ten years old. I don't remember anything."

"How can you not remember anything?"

"I was ten!"

"He's in the Bronx."

We turned to see who had spoken. It was the huge guy with the trolley. He was leaning on it, half-hidden behind a small mountain of junk, dressed in ragged thrift store clothes. Despite greasy hair, yellowing teeth, and quivering jowls, the air of self-importance and conceited smile were unmistakable. He reminded me of the patronizing teachers and counselors who always talked down to me. I hated him immediately.

"Who the hell are you?" Octavian demanded.

"I had hoped for a warmer welcome," the man simpered. "From one augur to another."

"You're the guy?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes, Perseus Jackson. I am 'the guy', as you so eloquently put it. I see that the gods still favor simple-minded brutes to be their champions."

"Champions?" I repeated dumbly.

He giggled. I took a closer look at him. He still seemed like your average creep, but in those crinkled eyes, the telltale fire of augury burned. It looked like the same thing that overwhelmed Octavian the first time he performed augury. And this guy was in that state constantly? I felt my fingers clasp my coin reflexively.

"How do we know you're not a fake?" Octavian asked.

"Because I know all about you," he said. His voice was like honeyed velvet: rich and thick and way too much. "I know you arrived in a UPS truck. A bit unglamorous, I might add. I know you fought Lycaon's mutts in that truckstop. I know Lupa told you to seek me out. And I know that the Titans are on their way Camp Jupiter as we speak."

"They're attacking?" I said sharply.

"Soon. Less than an hour."

"Then why did it take so long for you to find us?" Reyna demanded.

"You keep running around," he huffed. "I'm not Mercury, you know."

"But where are my manners." He drew himself up and gave a mock bow. "Attius Navius, patron of augurs, adviser to kings and emperors. At your service."

"You're a hobo," I scoffed.

Attius sneered at me. "You should have more respect. As it stands, I am your only hope."

"And you've been a great help," I said. "Thanks. Bye."

I whipped around to put as much distance between us as possible. "I'm also the only one who understands your prophecy," he called out.

My traitorous feet slowed to a stop and I turned back. Attius remained leaning on his trolley, face resting on his hands like a child while his smile widened to a grin.

"Oh yes, I know the one," he said. "'A half-blood of the eldest gods shall reach sixteen against all odds. And see the world in endless sleep -' "

"'The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. A single choice shall end his days. Olympus to preserve or raze'," I finished. "Yeah. I know it too."

"What the hell?" Reyna said.

"I'll tell you later," Octavian promised. "Didn't seem important at the time. What do you know about it?"

"Why ask me? You can see for yourself," Attius shrugged.

"I can?"

"Of course," he grinned. "We share the same ability. All my skill is yours to learn."

"Alright, spit it out already," I demanded. That prophecy had been bugging me since I'd heard it. I managed to sequester it deep in my mind, but every now and then it would surface to give me an anxiety attack. Which I was having now. A prophecy foretelling your death would do that.

"But what will you do for me?" he asked. "I am not in the habit of giving anything for free, yet you have so little to trade. I have no need for trinkets like the coins you have in your pockets, or secrets already open to me. What can you give me that I don't already have?"

"Hygiene?" Reyna muttered. Even Octavian snorted at that. Attius regarded her sharply, and his eyes turned white.

Two golden swords were instantly summoned. The augur did nothing, however, until he came out of his trance with a toothy smile.

"Now that is… fascinating. Tell me, who do you think your father hates more: you or your sister?"

Reyna dropped her gladius. "What - how did - "

"I can see the present and the future," he said mischievously. "But your past affects both. One only needs a little deduction to draw conclusions, and I am well-practiced. It's even easier now that you're right in front of me."

"You don't know anything about me." Reyna tried to growl, but her face betrayed her words.

"On the contrary, I know quite a bit! Would you like to know what your sister thinks of you now?" Attius chuckled. "Actually, I don't think you need a seer to know how much she hates you."

"I'm going to kill you," she replied.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Octavian cried out, stepping between Reyna and the augur. "Let's settle down. Think about it, Reyna. Think of what he can do! What we can do with it," he breathed.

Attius actually laughed, a strong drumming from his belly. "I'm glad that at least one of you can see sense. And of course it's the augur. But you are asking the wrong questions, my son." He leaned forward to whisper conspiratorially.

"What can _you _do with the gift?"

"What?"

"Stop depending on others. You blind yourself to the possibilities. Augury is yours as much as it is mine! You have no idea what you are capable of, Octavian Aelius. Not unless you seize it yourself," Attius hissed, shaking a fist.

"Seize it," Octavian breathed, his face contorting in a smile.

"Don't rely on me or anyone else. The power you've dreamed of is now yours. Use it! Break the shackles that anchor you. No more pretending to be a dutiful son; your ambitions have outgrown your childish loyalty! No more pretending to be a warrior; your talents are meant to wield armies, not swords! No more pretending to be a mere legionary - you were made to be far, far greater. A leader. A king. A god!"

I punched him in the face. He squealed from the impact and stumbled back.

"Percy, what the hell are you doing?" Octavian squawked.

"Making him shut up," I snapped.

"You insolent child!" Attius screeched.

"You're brainwashing him," I accused. "Filling his mind with all that garbage so he can be a waste of space like you! Using augury just so you can feel superior. You're just hiding from the reality that you're a miserable piece of trash who ruined his own life!"

"Really?" Attius straightened and met my glare with one of his own. "You're telling me I'm useless? Do think you could have finished your little quest without me? Do you think you'd even be alive without me? Rome would have collapsed thousands of years ago if it weren't for me! Everyone on this Earth exists because of me. Nobody else!"

"For someone who can look into the future, you sure like to stay in the past," I scoffed. "Come on, guys. There's nothing for us here."

"Right," Octavian muttered. "Of course. Let's… let's go to the Bronx Zoo. Do you know where it is?"

"Sure do. I should've guessed it was the Bronx," I said. "The gods can't go there, they'll get mugged."

"Sounds charming," Reyna intoned, picking up and dismissing her sword. I finally realized that we'd been making a scene. It was a wonder that the cops hadn't arrested us yet. But a quick look around and it was clear that we were protected by the Mist and mortal indifference. People were going about their business like we weren't even there.

There was a scuffling behind us as we made our way out of the alley.

"Idiots," Attius spat. "You've made an enemy of me! Do you have any idea what you've done? Any of you?"

Octavian grabbed my arm before I could retort. He waved his hand in a placating gesture and wore a cautious expression.

"He has a point," he murmured. "We don't have to like him. Just don't piss him off more than you already have. We're screwed if he joins the Titans."

"Are you kidding me? Maybe he can annoy them to death."

"Percy," he sighed.

"Fine. But I can't talk to him without throwing a punch."

"I'll do it." Octavian patted my arm and regarded Attius. He'd drawn himself up and looked down on us, piggy eyes perched above his wide nose.

"Forgive us," Octavian said, bowing a little. "I apologize if we have been a little hostile. It's just the nature of our quest here. We're in a hurry, after all. You understand that we must leave rather unceremoniously."

Attius smirked. He knew that his augury made him invaluable. Kissing his ass made sense, I guess, but gods it's hard not to smack him.

"Of course. Where would your friends be without you?" he spread his arms.

"You've got it backwards. I wouldn't be much without them." The frown that replaced his smirk was almost as satisfying as my punch.

"We'll take our leave now. I hope we never meet again." Octavian had the grace to give him a small nod before walking away.

"Wait," Attius called out.

"We really should be going," Octavian said without turning. "We have a legion to save."

"I know where the Sibylline books are."

Octavian froze. Now it was him who turned back. I stepped up beside him, Reyna to his other side.

"That's a little too good to be true," I called out. Attius chuckled.

"I suppose it is. They're in America, not even that far from here. Though it's not as simple as opening a book. Like everything of value, they're complicated."

"Just tell me where they are," Octavian snapped.

"I suppose _who _is more appropriate than _where_. She keeps moving around, after all."

"Someone already has them?"

"Yes. I've met her once - bit eccentric. Doesn't even know she has them, but believe me, she does." Anyone that Attius Navius found eccentric was not someone I wanted to meet.

"How can someone not know they have a bunch of books?" Reyna frowned.

"Books are useless. It's the writing that's important and this old bird knows it all. I should know, I helped write them," Attius giggled.

"It's a person? A monster? Who is it?" Octavian demanded.

"Oh, now that would be too easy. It would be much more entertaining to watch you struggle for it. Perhaps another… time."

As he said the last word his eyes burned white once more. Attius grinned as he regarded Octavian with that empty stare.

"Yes, I see them," he muttered. "Right in front of you but always out of reach. It's so much funnier when someone else suffers, is it not? Especially when the crossroads of your future is like a tangled web - so many decisions entrusted to you! Gods, what a mess. You would think that augury will prepare you for the future. But it just makes you realize how far you can fall. You could be a prophet-king, leading the legion in war and peace. Or be the petty coward you've always been."

Octavian flinched, but Attius already turned his attention to Reyna and raised his eyebrows at what he saw. Happiness in the face of someone like Attius was always bad, though I was suddenly in no great urge to stop him. What did the future hold for Reyna? For me? He never answered my question. That prophecy still hung like a guillotine over my head.

"And I thought the augur's future was dark. Yours is pitch-black! There are a few ingots of brilliant light, strangely, but they are few and far between. You're on your way to them somehow, I have to give you credit for that. I wouldn't have thought it possible. But you're walking a tightrope in the middle of a storm and even now the rope is fraying. The price of your failure is dark indeed. Though it must be said that there is beauty in darkness. I wonder if you'll come to appreciate it."

He turned to me last of all. Even before Attius turned his head completely his jaw dropped and a cackle escaped his throat.

"Jesus Christ! I don't believe I've ever seen a life quite like yours, Percy Jackson. You combine the worst of your two friends, and that's saying something. Even your brightest futures have so much suffering - for your loved ones, and especially for you. Death and darkness follow you like a plague. No doubt you were named after the Greek hero, but did you know 'Perseus' means 'to destroy'? Whatever you end up doing, you'll live up to your name."

Then his grotesque grin snapped shut. He creased his forehead.

"What the hell?" he muttered. My heart skipped a beat.

"What?" I breathed. "What did you see? Is it the prophecy?"

"Silence. You… but that's impossible." If he looked happy before, Attius was positively elated now. He erupted to a loud guffaw that brought tears to his eyes, suddenly cleared.

"Tell me!" I yelled.

"There are some lines and beings that even I don't cross, boy. And you'll walk all over them in time." He flashed his yellow grin.

"I know that you're in a rush and everything. But you really should consider visiting Long Island. I hear there are excellent strawberry fields there."

A lightning bolt split the clear sky and the resounding thunderclap rattled my teeth like it was aimed at me.

"Or don't!" Attius laughed. "I doubt it will matter. Maybe they'll even come to you! The strawberries, I mean. Right, Jupiter?"

"What's he talking about?" I muttered.

"I don't know," Octavian replied. "But if it's got him laughing like that, it can't be good."

"He didn't say anything about my prophecy," I grumbled.

"Trust me. Sometimes it's better not knowing." Octavian looked horrified. His lips were drawn taut on a pale face while his eyes darted every which way, no doubt trying to make sense of what Attius had said. Reyna was the same. Though she hid it much better, the hard stare she kept at the old augur told me where her thoughts lied.

"He didn't say much," I assured them. "It could be a bunch of lies."

"He doesn't need to lie to unnerve us, and he knows it. He gave us just enough to drive us nuts," Octavian murmured.

"Correct," Attius gasped, drawing in lungfuls of air after his laughing fit. "Tormenting people is a wonderful pastime. Much more entertaining than any play, believe me. Look at that fool Oedipus. Even I didn't expect things to go that way, but I'm not complaining."

"Let's get out of here," I growled. "We'll be here our whole life if he keeps this up and end up like him. We've got better things to do. Come on."

Reyna and Octavian pulled themselves away from Attius after they processed my words, and that took a while.

"Of course, of course," Attius said, waving his hand in a shooing gesture.

Then I heard something. Even through the constant uproar of New York it was unmistakable. Howls.

"Lycaon," Reyna growled.

"You were stalling," I hissed.

"Indeed I was," he said with a wink. "Since you had nothing to offer for my services, I settled for entertainment. A chase is better than a fight, after all. Much more intense."

"Run!" Octavian screamed. We dashed to the streets of Manhattan and ran like rabbits.

The mad augur's laughter haunted me out of the alley and stayed with me for years to come.


	9. Chapter 9

New York City is hectic at the best of times. Navigating through it is difficult despite the fact that Manhattan was separated into neat little blocks, but it's hard to think when a pack of wolves is trying to kill you.

We rushed through the throng of people, bumping shoulders and stepping on toes to keep moving. Stealth wasn't an option against these things. Our only chance was to run and hope to lose them in the crowd. It wasn't going very well.

The wolves were out of sight, though that didn't stop me from looking over my shoulder every few seconds. But they were there: howling and barking echoed behind me and raised a few shrieks from the mortals. The unnerving sensation of being watched crawled on my skin no matter how fast we went.

"Where are we going?" Octavian gasped.

"Just around the corner," I called out, waving my phone under his nose. He glanced at the Google Maps route I had open.

"Are you sure we should be using technology?" Reyna demanded.

"They already know where we are. Might as well use everything we've got!"

I returned my attention to running for my life. The Bronx Zoo was a ways away and we'd have to take three different trains to get there. It would be much easier if we could just drive, but there were no cabs in sight and calling an Uber while on the run seems like a bad idea.

"Is that it?"

Reyna jabbed a finger at a subway entrance. I wanted to kick myself for not noticing earlier. That's twice now that I got lost in thought. There won't be a third time.

I led them down the stairs and into the underground. The smell was even worse and the crowd even more unpleasant, pushing and shoving to get out of the station. Following the current of New Yorkers made us move as fast as we would if we ran.

Finding the right train was difficult, but I managed. Fortunately for us, the one we had to ride was nearly empty. I could afford the luxury of crashing down to a seat, and everything went black for a second. A nauseating feeling of vertigo made my stomach lurch. Only now did I realize how tired I was. My arm was finally taking its toll, and of course it would be at the worst possible moment.

"You good?" Octavian asked, holding my shoulder. I refocused, tried not to throw up on him, and nodded, offering a shaky smile.

"I'm great," I croaked. He didn't believe me at all, but there was nothing he could do but give me a pat in the back.

"I have to thank you," he said.

"For what?"

"You saved me back there. Everything Attius said made so much sense. If I was alone out there, I don't know what would've happened."

"You would've ignored him," I said firmly. "You're better than that."

Now it was Octavian who gave a shaky smile. I didn't believe my words at all, but there was nothing I could do but give him a thumbs up.

"Octavian, where's our silver?" Reyna asked. I looked over his shoulder and yelped. She had summoned her gladius.

"What are you doing?" Octavian hissed. "You can't wave that around in broad daylight!"

"There's nobody here. Even if anybody saw, the Mist will hide it."

"We can't rely on it!"

"We have to," she snapped. "Like Percy said, the time for subtly has passed. We have to be prepared. Now where's the silver?"

Octavian clenched his jaw, but nevertheless, he shook off his backpack and rummaged inside, producing a bunch of random medical equipment: scalpels, scissors, even some syringes. Reyna took them with a grim nod before attaching a few on her blade with some zip ties she took out of her backpack. The result was a ridiculous mockery of Lupa's gift. It looked like a prop for a school play. The fact that it was currently our best and only weapon made my mouth dry. But now's not the time for propriety. We needed to survive.

I stood and summoned my sword, handing it hilt-first to Octavian. His eyebrows shot up.

"Take it," I insisted, pressing it to his hand. "I'm useless with my arm like this."

He didn't want it. Octavian's a decent fighter, but he never enjoyed it. I still haven't seen him fight for his life. There's no telling how he'd react under the pressure. Though when his eyes met mine an understanding passed between us. We needed to survive.

He took the weapon. It's silly, but it felt like seeing your girlfriend in someone else's arms. That sword was more than a weapon: it was my handhold in the world of gods and monsters. But if I had to give it over to anyone it would be Octavian.

"Thank you," he said, meeting my eyes. He knew what that sword means to me. I shot him a grin.

"I hope you do it justice."

"I hope so, too. Now help me tie a bunch of scissors on it."

We were as prepared as we could ever be. Two 'silvered' swords for Reyna and Octavian and a scalpel for me. The tiny instrument felt like a butter knife but had an edge to rival any Imperial gold weapon. Still, I had a feeling that it would slip from my hands after any kind of altercation. It would be a last resort.

The electric ball of anxiety in my stomach coupled with the dark tunnels made me lose track of time. I jumped when a disembodied voice announced that we reached our destination.

So imagine my surprise when I came face to face with a wolf.

Thankfully, it was surprised too. That saved my life. Reyna pulled me back and lunged with her sword. The oversized wolf could only snarl before it melted into a puddle of shadows.

"Let's go!" Reyna bellowed. I scrambled to my feet, tearing up at the pain from my arm, and led my friends out of the station.

This time, people gave us a wide berth. I don't know what happens when you attach mortal stuff onto magic weapons, but apparently it was enough for them to avoid us like we were deranged teenagers. Maybe they thought we were buskers.

When we rose to the street the sights and sounds almost blinded me. I fished out my phone and glanced at the updated route. We were in Martin Luther King boulevard in Harlem of all places. The wolves wouldn't be the only ones we'd be running from here.

"Which way?" Octavian breathed.

"Just down the street!" I broke into a mad dash through the throng of New Yorkers, shoving them away. There were more than a few insults shouted at me and my friends, but they were soon drowned out by startled yells and screaming from behind us.

"How did they find us?" I shouted.

"Don't care. Just go, go, go!" Octavian screamed in my ear.

Every step felt like it was tearing off a piece of my arm. Sweat slithered down my back and plastered my face much faster than usual. Soon I was cold and clammy, driven once more by the fear of death. I felt it breathing down my neck, heard it in the howls getting closer, and smelled it in the stench of rotting flesh.

A busy crossroads loomed ahead of us. I didn't even stop to look down the street and barreled onward. A car screeched to a halt inches away, and I reflexively put up an arm.

"Sorry!" I cried out. The driver was furious, then horrified. He got out of his car and abandoned it, revealing the reflection of a wolf on the windshield.

The monster crashed down from the rooftops onto a cab, shattering the glass. Screaming mortals scattered like frenzied ants as the wolf bared its fangs. My wound ached just looking at it. I knew firsthand that if it latched on to you, it was over. Back in the Wolf House, death chased me like the reaper. Now I was staring right at it.

"Go!" Octavian shrieked, brandishing his sword. The wolf charged. It was fast, a shadow streaking over the concrete - but Reyna was ready. She burst out from behind a car and blindsided the creature with a battle cry. The wolf collapsed, yelping and whimpering as it dissolved into nothing.

"Run!"

That was all I needed to hear. We sprinted even faster. I forced my legs, contorting from cramps, to keep moving. Every now and then I would catch glimpses of dark forms bounding on the rooftops from every direction. They were closing in on us.

Then I spotted our destination: an old train station on an overpass just ahead. Rickety trains came and went under a yellowing awning. A single set of narrow stairs was the only way in.

I dashed up, going as fast as I could, taking two steps at a time, three, four. The whole time my lungs screamed in complaint. Stitches erupted on my sides and on my arm. Blood was pouring out of my wound by the time we reached the station. Other than the few people who were staring at me, the place was deserted. I scanned the platforms and saw where our train would stop. Of course it was on the other side of the station, separated by three other railroads.

"There!" I shouted between gasps. The three of us started running just as plodding feet bounded up the stairs behind. I looked for a way to reach the platform and saw a bridge much too far away while more wolves converged from both directions further down the tracks.

We had no choice. "Let's go!" I cried out, dropping down to the railroad. My friends followed me without a thought. But when I pulled myself up to the other side the wolves had already reached the top of the stairs. Octavian and Reyna edged forward, blades raised, silver reflecting the lamplight. The wolves bared their teeth. They wouldn't be taken by surprise any more.

I hated being so useless. I looked for a weapon, for something to do, anything. A rumbling shook the whole place and drew my attention. Two trains, almost side by side, were approaching the station. The train we needed, and the one that would arrive to platform beside it.

My friends were too busy warding off the wolves to notice. A fuzzy plan started to take form.

"Follow me!" I didn't wait for an answer. I jumped off the side of the platform and onto the second railroad. The others followed, but so did the wolves. They jumped across the first railroad in a single bound and crashed onto the gravel of the third railroad at the same time as us.

We were immediately overwhelmed. Reyna was on the offensive, blade darting back and forth like a scorpion. It was an impressive display that was already losing momentum. Octavian killed an overeager wolf, and two others pounced on him at the same time. He forced one to dodge, but one got through to bite him on the arm.

There was an advantage to being unable to fight, though: it was much easier to think.

I anticipated the attack and lunged with my scalpel just before it sank its teeth on Octavian. It whimpered, bleeding darkness from its stabbed neck, until it succumbed to a pile of shadows. The wolves lurched back, and just for a moment, we were winning. Then reinforcements arrived.

"Let's go!" Octavian screamed.

"Wait!" I shouted. The trains were coming. 500 feet, 400 feet. My timing had to be perfect. The trains were slowing. That threw me off.

"What?" Octavian shouted back. My mind blanked. I couldn't think. The wolves were coming, they were already on Reyna. I had to trust my instincts. There was no other choice.

"Now!" I screamed, hurling my scalpel at the wolves Reyna was fighting. One melted away with a surprised grunt. The three of us clambered over the side and sprinted to the last platform. If any of us hesitated for a second, the wolves would have caught us. Some of them skid to a halt, claws screeching on the tiled floor, but some kept slavering after us.

If any of us had slowed for a second, we would have died. But I trusted them to follow, and they trusted me to lead. Our unshakable faith in one another pushed us onward, despite the roar of the incoming train. We leaped to the other side.

When I landed on my chin on the final platform, I felt the unstoppable force of a speeding train rushing behind me like a tidal wave. A sickening crunch told me that something didn't make it. I was almost too scared to look, but Octavian was kneeling beside me, chest heaving, leaning on my sword. Reyna was already on her feet, sweat dripping off her chin, long braid in disarray. We were all trembling.

"That was insane," Octavian breathed. "You idiot! We could have died!"

"Yeah, but we didn't," I grinned, collapsing in a fit of hysterical giggles. He could only shake his head and stand. Octavian allowed himself a sigh of relief when the doors of our train opened.

"The whole city's trying to kill me," he mumbled.

"Welcome to New York."

"Guys." Something in Reyna's voice made me turn around, and I saw a pack of bewildered wolves. My blood ran cold. The train that saved our lives had opened the doors on both sides. There was nothing standing between us but a few confused mortals.

"Get in!" Reyna roared. We dove inside our train just as the doors started closing. Not all of the wolves made it inside, but it was still too much for two exhausted demigods. Then the rest broke in through the windows.

"Move, move, move!" I screeched, pushing my friends to the next car. The wolves struggled to maneuver, bumping into each other and advancing in a tangle of claws and fangs. I passed through the separator last, slamming the door shut behind me.

"Too close," Octavian gasped. Then the door dented inwards with a horrendous clang. Another hit impacted the metal. A third, and it started to cave in. Slits on the side revealed glimpses of an enormous wolf ramming the door with its shoulder. It was just like our last stand in the clinic back in Iowa.

"We need to put some distance between us," Reyna muttered.

"What about the mortals? We can't just leave them," I cried.

"They'll be fine, we're the ones they want. The wolves won't waste their time on anything else. Now let's get moving."

We ran up the train one car at a time, shutting each door behind us. The other passengers stared at us sometimes, but most of their attention was directed to the shrieking of metal further down the train. A single door won't do much, but it was starting to add up. I was starting to think that we could survive this without a fight.

Octavian opened the next door, and my stomach did a backflip. Reyna was wrong. An intelligent wolf would be single-minded in a hunt. Lycaon's pack was more monster than wolf.

At least half a dozen of the sleek black creatures crowded the seats, cherry-red blood dripping from their jaws and matting their fur. They perked up simultaneously from the meals they had made out of the innocent passengers.

Reyna shoved us back and slammed the door shut as the wolves surged forward, eager for their next meal. These ones looked even more bestial than the ones we just fought. The blood drove them into a frenzy. When the door closed in front of their faces, they clawed at it instead of ramming it down, making the metal screech like a dying man.

"What the hell do we do now?" Reyna mumbled, gripping her sword tight.

"Get off at the next station?" Octavian offered.

"They'll kill us in an open field," I replied. "It only worked the first time because of the train."

"We need to get out," Octavian declared. "We're surrounded!"

"There's nowhere to go," Reyna croaked. "I say we go down fighting."

"Unlike you, we don't have a death wish! Percy, tell me you have an idea."

"Why are you asking me?" I asked, bewildered.

"Because there are no smart decisions left! We need something stupid!"

"That's reassuring," I muttered, forcing myself to think.

Okay. Okay. I looked out the window to see if we could survive the fall. The train still ran on a bridge several stories high, running through the residential area of Harlem and eventually the Harlem river. Jumping out was not an option, even if we did it over the water: we were just too high up. I might survive, but I didn't trust my powers to protect my friends. My weakness made me powerless again. I wanted to pull out my hair and scream.

Okay. Calm down. Now's not the time. If we can't go forward, or back, or down, then that only left one direction.

I looked at my friends. The horrified expression on Octavian and grim expression on Reyna told me that they'd reached the same conclusion.

"You're kidding me," Octavian breathed.

"Do you have a better idea?" I asked.

"Dying with honor sounds much better now. How are we even going to – "

Reyna smashed her sword into a window. It didn't budge, but neither did she. The pommel of her gladius struck the glass over and over again until cracks began to form. She turned to Octavian.

"You want to help?"

They both set to breaking the window. I could only watch and worry.

A particularly loud clang made me jump. The station wolves were only one door away. The frenzied wolves had stopped their clawing and started to make a concerted effort to force it open. We had less than a minute.

The window shattered. Broken glass exploded everywhere, leaving bloody cuts on Reyna and Octavian's arms. The shrieking wind made me realize that I never really appreciated how fast these trains were going. The plan was looking by the second.

"You first!" Reyna shouted over the noise. Octavian swallowed and stepped forward. He crouched on a seat and slowly put his upper body out, twisting to reach for the roof. A loud growling made me tear my eyes off him. The doors were open. If the wolves were smaller, they would already be in the room.

"You next," Reyna yelled in my ear, making me jump. Octavian was already up? I was supposed to watch how he did it. What the hell am I gonna do?

No time to think. I let my mind go blank and moved on instinct.

I stood on a seat, reached out, and twisted my body. The wind crushed me against the cold metal and squeezed the air out of my lungs. I felt like I was drowning, with nothing to keep me going but the promise that the pain would stop if I just kept moving.

What now? I wanted to gasp but found it hard to breathe. What do I do? Did I already kill Reyna? Did Octavian make it? Gods, what the hell am I doing?

I saw something. A hand appeared above me, and I grabbed it without thinking, leaving me dangling in the air for a split second. It pulled me up and onto the filthy roof of a New York train, ridged lines sinking into my skin. I gasped my relief and sprawled there for a moment.

"We have to help Reyna!" he shouted in my ear. I shot upright, cursing myself for taking a break.

We crawled to the edge. If anything, that was more terrifying than climbing out of a moving train. There was nothing between us and the open air.

I put out my good hand for what it was worth. Reyna could probably climb out on her own, since she's a total badass, but –

She jumped through the window. It was pure instinct that made me reach out and pure chance that let me grab her arm. Her weight pulled Octavian and I flat against the ground. I could just see Reyna bend her knees to keep her legs from getting crushed under the train.

"What do we do? What do we do?" Octavian babbled. I couldn't even dignify a reply. Trying to put weight on my wounded arm and push myself up nearly made me faint. It was too much weight too fast, and even now Reyna had to twist in the air like a puppet with its strings cut to keep away from grasping claws. She screamed, in pain or defiance, I'll never know, but somehow it did the trick.

An inexplicable rush of strength surged through me. More than that – my terror subsided, my vision cleared, and hysteria was replaced with resolve. I felt myself turning my body and forced myself to stand with just my feet. Octavian did the same, and together, we pulled Reyna back to safety.

We collapsed on the floor. The burst of strength hadn't left me, but if I stopped to process everything, I doubt I would get up again.

"Was that you?" Octavian muttered.

"Yeah," Reyna groaned, rolling back her jeans to inspect her wounds.

Comprehension dawned on me. It was Reyna who provided that strength, not a heroic act from me. Even when she was the one who needed saving, she was the one who saved herself.

"Thank you," she muttered.

"I think we should be thanking you," I replied.

We lay there. For a moment everything was peaceful. I could pretend that there wasn't a pack of wolves a few feet below me.

If it weren't for the bone-deep exhaustion that only now caught up to me, maybe I could even admire the view. We soared above the Harlem river and just the sight of water reinvigorated me, just a little bit. Gliding above the streets of New York was even more refreshing. For once I could enjoy the sights while moving too fast for the smell to catch up. There was something poetic in that, I'm sure. But right now, I only had enough strength to breathe.

As usual, Reyna was the first one on her feet. Ignore the scratches and dirt all over her and you'd never guess that she was almost torn apart by wolves just two minutes earlier. Even her poker face was back.

"We have to plan our next step," she stated.

"Right," I sighed. "We almost died like three times in three minutes. My arm's hanging by a thread and I lost my scalpel, but sure, let's talk tactics."

Reyna scowled before continuing. "Where do we go from here?"

I sighed and pulled out my phone. By some miracle it hadn't fallen out of my pocket, but it sported a few more cracks. The route we had to take was still painfully clear.

"Just a short drive straight to the Bronx Zoo."

"Can we call a cab?"

"It's the Bronx. I don't think you can even call the cops."

"Try anyway," Octavian sighed.

I did. The guy on the other end didn't sound too thrilled to be speaking to a teenager, but I was far too tired to care and hung up before he finished talking.

"There," I sighed. "Done."

No more words had to be spoken. We just sat back and enjoyed the ride, such as it was. Again, it was Reyna who brought up the elephant in the room.

"What are we going to do about the wolves?" she said quietly. I rubbed at my eyes, trying to squeeze an idea out of my brain.

"I have something," Octavian muttered.

"Is it an idea?" I asked.

"Yes. It might even be a good one. But first, take out your clothes."

"What?"

"Take out your clothes," Octavian repeated, then frowned. "That's how we're going to lose them. Throw them off our scent. Literally."

"That makes some kind of sense," I admitted.

We reached into our backpacks and pulled out stinking heaps of laundry. It's been almost a week since we'd left Camp Jupiter and in all that time, we hadn't visited a laundromat once. There were more pressing concerns, like the end of the world.

Octavian gagged as we piled our clothes onto his arms. "Jesus. What the hell do you people eat?"

"Might want to smell yourself first," I grinned, shoving one his old shirts to his face. He retched.

"Point taken," Octavian gasped.

The good thing about having a constant tempest raging against you is that it got rid of any semblance of a sense of smell. Then it suddenly subsided. I blinked tears from my eyes and saw that we'd finally arrived in another station. How long has it been since we first got on the train? Two minutes? Twenty?

The doors groaned open. Most of the mortals walked in and ran back out once they saw the crushed doors inside. A few screams from right below us told me that the wolves have stayed put. I don't understand why they didn't just walk out and jump to the roof. They can do it easy enough. But it wouldn't make sense. They'd be risking themselves, while they could just wait for us to get off and overwhelm us all at once.

Octavian crept to the edge, holding out the pile of laundry and waving it around like bait. He looked ridiculous but none of us were laughing. Instead, my mouth dried up and my throat started to constrict.

A warning beep sounded. The doors groaned close.

"What're you waiting for?" I whispered. Octavian only narrowed his eyes even as the train lurched forward. We picked up speed and started to leave the station. Our window was closing.

Octavian hurled our clothes out to the platform as our train departed, much too late. Nobody could react that fast. Apparently, the rules don't apply to wolves.

Glass shattered in a dozen different places at the same time. What looked like twenty wolves altogether crashed out to the station and tore into the clothes before it hit the ground. It was a feeding frenzy, but it was only until we were too far away did they realize their mistake. I laughed as they looked around frantically, flipping them off as we vanished to the distance.

The rest of the trip was spent in silence. Each time I closed my eyes, a wolf would leap for my throat. The others weren't doing much better. Nervous glances to every spot of darkness and shadow revealed nothing out of the ordinary but succeeded in stressing me out.

I could hardly believe it when we arrived in the Bronx. At this point I've had enough train rides for a lifetime. When we jumped down from the roof, my legs turned to jelly, and I walked bowlegged all the way to our waiting cab. The driver gave us a look, demanded we pay in advance, and only started driving after Reyna pulled out a knife.

"What are we going to say?" I said. Reyna and Octavian knew what I was talking about. There was nothing else in my mind or in theirs.

"Just the truth," Reyna sighed. "If we can't convince him with the truth, then we never will."

"I didn't drag us across the country just to fail," Octavian growled. "We're going to say whatever he wants to hear and promise him the world if we have to. Our friends are dying back home. We can't come back empty-handed."

"And if we do?"

"There won't be a home to come back to," Octavian stated. "We need him. The world needs him. He'll have to understand."

"You guys are going to the zoo, right?" the taxi driver asked. I reached up and closed the divider.

Everything passed in a blur. The buildings got gloomier, the people shiftier. The zoo looked like the front yard to a haunted mansion. Dead leaves covered the ground in patches under wilted trees. The stone entrance had cracks in the foundation, on the arches, and the fountain out front was choked with algae. Not the place I'd expect to find a god. But then again, I guess that was the idea.

We tipped our cab with the rest of our spare change and he left in a huff of black exhaust. Without the droning of the engine I realized that the place was silent.

"Is it closed?" Reyna wondered. There were no signs that would say otherwise, but I'm pretty sure that Google said that it's supposed to be open right now. We shared a look with each other, shrugged, and walked in, weapons out.

It felt like walking in to the Colosseum in the middle of the night. The exterior belied an enormous interior that just made the silence more uncomfortable. A place this big should have at least some signs of life, but even the enclosures were dead and silent. The occasional breeze would shift the leaves of some plant, making us jump, though there was nothing to see.

There had to be something. I looked for tracks, signs of a struggle, trails of blood. I even whiffed the air. Other than the musty, grey stench of dust, there was no indication that anything existed here other than us.

"Did you say you saw an elephant in your augury?" I whispered to Octavian. He nodded slowly, with eyes averted and lips pursed.

"Then let's go to the elephant exhibit," I suggested. Nobody complained. Anything to leave this place.

I searched for a map and found one in an intersection. The elephants were located smack in the middle of the zoo – which made sense. They'll need all the space they can get. Memorizing the route we'd have to take, I started up the weedy paths and through the reptile section. There, at least, some iguanas and snakes basked in the artificial heat of their terrariums. Some of the lights were off. Maybe there was a blackout? That would explain some things. But wouldn't zoos have backup generators?

There was no time to think about it. We'd arrived at the elephant enclosure. It was a sad wasteland with more dirt than grass. A few stick-thin trees huddled together next to a couple of identical boulders. The whole thing was closed in by a fence of square posts with thick corded wire running between each one. There was no telling how far it went: it curved further down the path and vanished out of sight, behind a disproportionately dense jungle of vines and branches. The front must have been cleared out so visitors can see the elephants.

"No elephants," I sighed. "Unless you want to explore deeper inside?"

"Into the literal jungle? No thanks," Octavian shuddered. "But it looks like we don't exactly have a choice."

"Why are we looking at elephants to begin with?" Reyna demanded. "Wouldn't it make more sense to look for wolves? Or eagles? Or lions? That sounds much more Roman."

"I know what I saw," Octavian said, ducking under a wire and into the enclosure.

"Better hope you're right," I mumbled, following him inside.

We trudged through the dirt and into the jungle. Octavian had to hack some vines apart to clear a path, and even then, my senses were drowned in a wall of bright green and brown. Hidden humidifiers made the air sticky and wet. It was hard to move around without bumping into each other.

Octavian slashed his gladius and stopped moving. We'd come into a clearing bedded with soft grass and surrounded by dense greenery, the very picture of a tropical jungle. Sunlight rained from above on to the beds of moss and lichen. It would be a beautiful place to stargaze or have a picnic, and oasis from reality.

In the center, a herd of elephants lay torn apart and drenched in their own blood. A particularly big one still gave a few pathetic trumpets even as wolves helped themselves to the carcasses of its fellow elephants. Lycaon himself reclined on the big one's head like a throne with his feet propped up against the once-proud animal's tusks.

"Well, you've led us on a merry chase," Lycaon purred. "It's been a long time since we've hunted quarry as troublesome as the three of you."

Octavian was the first to recover from shock. "It was scary until we figured out how to kill your wolves. Although I'm sure you all know that by now."

That got a few growls from our audience at least. Octavian talked a big game, but his voice quavered at the end.

"I would congratulate your efforts, but we all know it was a fluke," Lycaon hissed through his fangs. "If that bitch Lupa hadn't maimed me your little adventure would have ended before it even began. Now you stand in the presence of the only god of wolves."

He jumped down from his seat. Lycaon sauntered towards us while drumming his grotesquely long fingers. Only now could I see patches of fresh scars all over his legs and torso. No human could survive from those wounds, but Lycaon's humanity left him long ago. Not that it was much help to us now.

"You will never be a god," Octavian shouted, pointing his sword at him. I knew that voice. It's the one he used when he was backed into a corner in a debate and needed time to think, stalling with shock and awe. It never lasted long and rarely succeeded.

"You're just a man, cursed by Jupiter for trying to feed him human flesh. The dogs you lead are as nothing compared to Lupa's pack!" he yelled. I search everywhere for something that could help. A weakness, a weapon, an escape route, anything. The wolves were arranged in a loose semicircle in front of us. If we turned back, we might lose them in the foliage. But then what? They'd run us down.

Water. I needed water to fight. I reached out with my senses, focusing my mind to see if anything was calling to me. A few small pools, all much too far away. Strangely, I could hear whispers coming from somewhere. Probably mortals wondering if they should help. I hoped they stayed away for their own sake.

"That's what everyone says," Lycaon chuckled. "I was fool enough to believe it until I was strong enough to challenge it. Needless to say, it was a great disappointment. I hope you're not expecting her to come to your rescue now – or any time soon."

Barking laughter chorused from the wolves. My heart beat faster but my blood felt thicker. Lupa is a goddess. You can't kill a goddess, right? Of course not. But if I really believed that, then what's the point of this whole quest?

"Liar," Octavian whispered.

"I'm afraid not, child," Lycaon sighed. "I was stronger. I won. You were weaker, and you lost. This fight, this war, and your lives. It's very simple. Allow me to demonstrate."

"What do we do?" Octavian stuttered, looking at me. I looked back to see the fear I felt reflected in his eyes. There was nothing left. No tricks, no clever ploys. I couldn't even fight back, not with my arm injured. I could only stare at him.

Reyna walked past us, her face a mask of quiet determination without a trace of fear or hesitation. She grabbed my gladius from Octavian's hand and spun both golden blades, approaching Lycaon as she did.

Reyna was unflinching. She went through hell with us and never stopped fighting. Even now, when I couldn't even look Lycaon in the eye, she stared him down with weapons in hand. I think that's the closest I'll ever get to meeting a goddess.

"Are you going to try to stop me with those toothpicks, girl?" Lycaon laughed.

"I will do more than try."

Reyna raised her swords. Lycaon bared his fangs. I hoped it would be over quickly.

The ground started to rumble. I'm pretty sure that's not something Lycaon can do. Out of the trees behind the wolves, an elephant came charging out, trunk flailing wildly and loud trumpets echoing from its wide mouth. It crushed several wolves underfoot before the rest jumped into motion, dodging side to side to avoid the onslaught. The elephant trampled anything that came too close, but our savior was already losing momentum. Lycaon's pack surrounded it and started biting at its ankles. Now I understood how they killed the others.

"No! Leave them be!" somebody roared. Even Lycaon paused to see who it was. A man was riding the elephant, comically tiny even in full armour on the back of the huge animal. But he was held a bow and knew how to use it. Wolves would cry out and melt into shadows as silver arrows rained from above. Each one found its mark.

Reyna used the distraction to her advantage and attacked Lycaon. The werewolf was taken by surprise, but he was still fast enough to dodge any killing blows. Reyna didn't slow down. She fought like a starved animal, without any consideration of her own safety. Lycaon would dodge out of the rampaging elephant's way every few seconds. Reyna had no such concern.

"Come on!" I yelled to Octavian, shocking him into motion. I had to do something. Trying to match Reyna's bravery, I barreled into Lycaon with a shout. He might have expected an attack, but he underestimated my stupidity and didn't expect me to tackle him. We both went down in a tangle of limbs. I landed on my injured arm and gasped in pain. It made my eyes water, but I could still see Lycaon spring back to his feet, barely fazed from my attack.

Octavian made his move. He rolled under a wide slash from Lycaon's claws and dove for his feet. Lycaon was much too fast for him. He pulled back his foot and slammed it onto Octavian's back, pinning him to the ground. He raised his arm to finish him off.

I lurched forward with a shout, launching myself to Lycaon's back and grabbing his arm. He snarled, and I felt claws digging into my back as he pulled me off and threw me several feet away. Our combined efforts had done nothing but annoy him.

It did make him take his eyes off Reyna for just a second. That was enough.

She dashed forward, blades slashing. Her first attack bit deep into his leg. Her second severed his arm. Lycaon fell to his knees, staring at the stump on his elbow in disbelief. His eyes met Reyna's for a moment.

"Wait – "

Reyna swung both swords. With a flash of gold, Lycaon's head toppled from his neck and fell to the ground.

Even with an elephant in the background it was hard not to stare at his smoldering corpse. Pieces of the wolf king started to crumble off him like shadows melting in the light. He faded into the ground, leaving a dark splotch on the earth after he had dissolved completely.

"You killed him," I gaped. Reyna had done it while I was helpless. Something stirred inside me, making my heart clench. What was that feeling? Envy, that she had defeated Lycaon instead of me? No, it must be frustration that I wasn't much use. Yes, I'm sure that was it.

"We killed him," Reyna said, smiling mirthlessly. "It's not much of a fight to stab someone while they're distracted."

"Either way, he's dead," Octavian cheered. He spread his arms and grinned at the carnage around him. The elephant had stopped its rampage. Lycaon's wolves were all dead or fled after seeing what became of their alpha. "We're alive!"

"No thanks to us," Reyna muttered, but Octavian was already approaching the elephant.

It's one thing to see the largest mammal in the world from behind a fence, and another to walk towards one after it just killed a pack of supernatural wolves. Reyna and I followed Octavian from a distance, but the animal wasn't paying any attention to us. It had bent its knees to nudge its fellow elephants with its head, searching for any signs of life, billowing like a funeral dirge once it realized that there were none to be found.

When Octavian came too close it shot up to its full height with alarming speed. Reyna raised her weapons and Octavian scrambled back, but that just made it lower its tusks in preparation of a charge.

"Whoa there, buddy," I said, holding out the palm of my hand. "Slow down." It screeched at me in response.

"Stop, Hannibal," the man grumbled from behind his helmet. The elephant quieted immediately. "Killing these idiots won't bring them back. I know that too well."

"Thank you for saving us," Octavian said. "We're honored by your presence, Romulus."

My jaw fell open as Octavian knelt before him. Reyna shuffled forward and did the same, prompting me to follow her lead and take a knee beside her.

"That's Romulus?" I whispered.

She frowned and shot me a sidelong glance. "You just realized?"

"We're members of the 12th Legion Fulminata!" Octavian cried out. "We've come a long way to finally meet you, great king. Our legion is under attack as we speak. The Titanomachy has begun anew, and we've come to ask for your help."

"You're Romans," he scoffed. "Deal with it yourself."

"They have a Titan with them. We're not ready for that fight, not yet. We wouldn't be here if we had any other choice."

There was a long pause. "Which one?"

"Krios, uh… my lord."

"Good. He might just do the job."

Octavian's voice reflected my confusion. "What?"

"He should be strong enough to finish off you Romans. Maybe then I'll finally die."

"What the hell are you talking about?" my mouth moved before I realized I was talking.

The figure on the elephant removed his helmet. An old, bald man with liver spots and wrinkled jowls glared down on me. He looked like a retired athlete – the aftermath of horrible experiences finally overflowing from the wasted ruins of an abused body.

"Rome was my greatest failure. The world would be better off without it. I'm sorry to disappoint you, children, but you're better off without me."

Romulus jerked his legs, and his elephant lumbered away. He left us, kneeling on the ground, the cold weight of failure hanging from our hearts.


	10. Chapter 10

"What the hell is going on?" I muttered. It felt like a month had passed after our fight. Everything slowed after the adrenaline abandoned my body, leaving me a sluggish mess too tired to even think. It didn't help that nothing was making sense.

We had just killed Lycaon and scattered his pack, but the victory tasted like ashes in mouth. We'd found Romulus after a week of nonstop travel only to discover that he was an old man who'd sooner tell us to get off his lawn than defend Rome – which was dying because of our failure. So yeah.

Octavian kept pace alongside Romulus. He was tall enough and the elephant young enough that he was just a few feet below him, but the old man pretended not to hear his pleading.

"My lord, you have to listen to us!" He scrambled forward and into Romulus's field of vision, gesturing with his hands as he spoke.

"The Twelfth Legion is under attack. Rome is under attack! They sent us here to find you and bring you back so you might lead us. We need your help!"

Romulus was silent. That just made Octavian talk faster.

I sighed and received a painful reminder that my ribs were busted. That last fight had drained what reserves I had left, and Romulus had dealt the killing blow to my hopes. A morbid curiosity for what would happen next was the only thing that kept me scuffling forward.

Reyna wasn't much better. Physically, she remained mostly unharmed outside of a few nasty scrapes and bruises. Despite compensating for my uselessness in all our fights so far, she was our rock. But the vacant eyes on her blank face told a different story. I'd seen war movies with veterans after enduring artillery fire in the trenches. Reyna had the same shell-shocked expression.

Octavian's blabbering finally stopped. I looked up to see what had caused that miracle and realized that the elephant stopped walking in front of an abandoned storage area or loading dock, ringed with a wire fence for about 200 feet around and secured with an enormous padlock. Even through my dyslexia I could tell what the rickety sign said: 'Opening soon!'

"What is this place?" I murmured. Reyna said nothing. It was Romulus who acted.

He raised his arms and sliced the air with quick, precise hand movements, all while saying a string of Latin words. He spoke with a commanding tone like a general giving orders that were not meant for my ears. The syllables flitted into the wind as soon as they left his mouth and escaped my hearing. When he was finished, I almost forgot he ever spoke at all.

A thick fog shrouded the abandoned facility ahead. No, not a fog, I realized. He was manipulating the Mist.

It enveloped the area, a miniature cloud encompassing it, before dissipating into nothing – along with the illusion. The stout building that was left was unmistakably a bunker. It reminded me of the entrance to an underpass secured with slate-grey doors that dragged themselves open for Romulus to reveal a dark room. The old man jerked his legs, and the elephant lumbered forward once more.

After we picked up our jaws from the floor, we followed his lead into the miniature fort. He still gave us no indication that we even existed and kept moving deeper within.

"What the hell is going on," I muttered again. He'd led us into a wide antechamber devoid of anything that smelled of a musty basement. With a beep, the doors started to close behind us. I suddenly realized that we'd be left in complete darkness just as the entrance shut and cut us off completely. For a few moments I could only listen to my own breathing and try to ignore my growing claustrophobia.

Then another set of doors in front of us started to open. It revealed the best thing I'd seen in my life.

The inside of the building was bigger than the entire zoo. It was like every kid's dream mansion in one massive studio apartment, complete with a race track, a bowling alley, a home theatre, a living room, an arcade, and countless more spread out all over the place. There was a huge wooden construction to our left, and another where the far-right corner would be – I couldn't guess how big this place was; I couldn't even see the walls behind all his stuff.

Somehow, the elephant was able to avoid crushing anything. It navigated through the house to the construction on the left with carefully placed steps, one after another, until eventually he reached what must have been his kennel – if you could call it that. Most kennels weren't the size of a soccer field. I peeked inside and saw a bright green savannah inside.

There, Romulus finally dismounted, hopping down with ease like a gymnast. He patted the elephant fondly, who waded into its own home with a trumpeting cry. Then Romulus faced us.

Up close, he didn't look that old. Sure, he was bald, covered in wrinkles and dotted with liver spots, but his eyes were alert and shrewd. He carried himself like a younger man and it made him look like one.

He met each of our eyes one by one and sighed.

"Come on," he said, and started walking. I raised my eyebrows. Octavian grinned and all but bounced along after him. The small glimmer of hope lit something up in me, too. We followed Romulus through his bunker/mansion and passed by couches and bean bags placed in strategic locations allowing you to rest after a few minutes of walking in any direction.

He stopped at a kitchen straight out of MasterChef. It was big enough to accommodate a whole cohort, and the pantry had enough food to feed the entire legion. Fridges lined the wall and cabinets hung over the whole affair.

"Kitchen and pantry," Romulus declared. "Food and drink for a year. Nectar and ambrosia for a lifetime." Without waiting for a response, he continued his tour. We looked at each with slightly less hopeful and slightly more confused expressions but followed him all the same. My thoughts dwelled at the mention of nectar and ambrosia. Eating enough of that stuff would quicken my healing, or at least numb the pain in my arm. I've started to grow used to it the way you get used to a cramp, but I wouldn't say no to some healing.

Romulus brought us to a solid wooden door I hadn't noticed before. I wondered if it was hidden by the Mist or clever design. Either way, he swung it open to reveal darkness. He reached inside and with the flick of a switch, the whole room lit up with a vibrant amber shine. When my eyes adjusted, I realized what I was looking at. The colour didn't come from the lightbulbs. It came from the room's contents.

"Imperial gold," Octavian breathed. There was a mountain of the stuff. Weapons and armour, shields, spears, daggers, swords, helmets, even horseshoes. Like the rest of the house, it was much larger than should be possible and even then, the room was nearly overflowing with the rarest metal on earth. They were hung on racks, adorned on mannequins, or stored in shelves. Underneath it all there were webs of blacks wires. Nets, I realized.

"The lost treasures of Rome," Romulus murmured. "Enough to arm the legions at the height of the empire's power. Now they're kept safe here. And if I press a single button, they can be packed and ready to go in an instant."

"But – but this will change the whole war!" I sputtered. "With this much Imperial gold, the legion can actually fight back! We can win!"

Romulus ignored me and walked away. I started after him to give a piece of my mind before Octavian grabbed my arm and shook his head in warning. He looked as frustrated as me even if he only showed it when Romulus's back was turned, but it made me remember that we couldn't afford to offend him. I was left fuming.

Romulus was waiting in a distant corner of the huge room with his arms crossed. He was leaning against a wooden fence made of several logs stacked and bound together. Wooden posts the size of tree trunks – they might be live trees for all I know – supported a low and slanted roof to enclose an area like a zoo exhibit for a prized animal. The deep smell of forests and wilderness wafted from the gaps in the structure.

A shrill whistle from Romulus made me jump, but nothing happened.

_Visitors? _Somebody said. I whipped around, eyes scanning my surroundings.

"Who was that?" I demanded. Romulus regarded me with a calculating stare. It was hard not to wither under his gaze, and I've lived with wolves for months. It struck me that it looked somewhat familiar. The quiet reserves of strength and power behind cold blue eyes reminded me of my dad.

_We've never had visitors before. _It was a man's voice, I was sure of it. But why did he speak like a child?

"Who the hell was that?" I repeated.

"Percy?" Octavian asked uncertainly.

"Unfortunate," Romulus muttered. "You might actually be the son of Neptune."

His words washed over me and trickled down my neck like a splash of water. I slowly turned to the structure – the stable – and found a horse looking right at me. A chestnut stallion with dark, inquisitive eyes in a wide brow, he was unlike anything I'd ever seen. The trained horses we used for chariot racing were strong and brave creatures. Lupa and her wolves exuded deadly cunning. But the only thing that came to mind when I saw that stallion was majesty.

Romulus undid a hidden latch and swung the stable door open. The horse strode through, slowly, patiently, like a king before his court. We all backed away on instinct and really saw him for the first time. Octavian choked. Reyna gasped.

He had wings.

Two beautiful eagle wings rested against his back. Light brown feathers rippled like waves. The smallest ones closest to his shoulders were condensed like fur and gradually got longer and wider as they swept down his flanks. They seemed to change colour in the light, a kaleidoscope of sharp bronze and deep forest brown.

"This is Scipio," Romulus said softly. "My pegasus. If ever I need to make a quick getaway and Hannibal is unavailable, then Scipio would carry me to safety."

"Hannibal?" Octavian mumbled while he gawked at the pegasus.

"The elephant."

"Of course," he muttered.

_I've never seen other humans before,_Scipio said in my head. Again, the rich timbre of his voice reminded me of a grown man while his stumbling words reminded me of a child. Like he was inexperienced in conversation. And if he was cooped up in here with only Romulus for company, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.

_I've never seen a pegasus before. You're amazing, _I thought. He reeled back, huffing and tossing his head.

_You're weird. How are you talking to me? You're not a horse, you smell worse than one._

_My dad is Neptune, and he created horses. So, I guess I've always had a connection with you guys. Though I always thought it only worked for normal horses._

_Normal horses? Am I not normal? _Scipio scraped his hoof against the floor.

_Of course not. Normal horses don't have wings. _

_Is that bad?_

_No, you're amazing!_

"What is he doing?" I heard Reyna whisper behind me.

"Percy can talk to horses," Octavian replied. "I guess we forgot to mention that. But why show us this? I mean he's great and all – but how is this going to help the legion?"

Romulus whistled again. Scipio suddenly stopped talking and turned to his master. The old man took the horse's head in his arms, stroked his jaw, and put their foreheads together. I had a feeling that the bond they shared went far deeper than any kind of telepathy I could do. Without another whistle, the pegasus returned to his stable, and Romulus shut the door behind him.

With a final cursory glance at me, he headed back to the rest of his mansion. Again, Octavian had to stop me from hitting his head from behind, though he was clearly thinking of doing just that.

We followed him all the way to the home theatre. He stood in front of the tall surround-sound speakers and gigantic 4K TV and spread his arms.

"And this is my most prized possession. I have Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime, and Hulu on this magnificent invention. Truly the greatest creation of your generation."

"That's great," I snapped. "But I don't see how that's supposed to save Rome. Are we supposed to get the Titans to binge watch Doctor Who?"

"These fives things – Hannibal, food, weapons, Scipio, and Netflix – are all I need to endure the fall of civilization. Don't you understand? Rome has given me nothing but death and despair, and I would gladly help the Titans erase it from existence. And if they want to destroy the rest of the world, I'll be here. Safe and alone forever."

"And what about the rest of us?" I asked incredulously.

"What about you?" Romulus shrugged. "Why should I care?"

He plopped down to the couch, produced a remote from between the cushions, and started browsing TV shows. I couldn't believe it. The first and greatest king of Rome was watching Rick and Morty while the last legion was fighting for their lives.

I wanted to beat some sense into him. Octavian tried a different approach and sat down next to him on the couch. This time, he used a needy tone he employed whenever we wanted to suck up to some older legionary.

"Romulus," he grovelled, "we understand that we are far beneath you. But if that were true, then surely offering us the slightest amount of support must be equally easy for you. We only ask that we borrow some weapons from your armoury, and – "

"No." Romulus didn't even look away from the screen.

"Why not?" Octavian said sweetly through gritted teeth.

"Because I don't want to. How many times do I have to tell you? The door's over there, by the way. I can walk you out if you want, since you're all clearly too stupid to even understand the word 'no'," he chuckled. "Besides, even if I wanted to help, I can't. I swore that I would never again help Rome in any way."

"Why can't you just break the oath? Or pretend that you didn't know you'd be helping Rome? Who did you swear to? Who has that much power over you? Jupiter?" Octavian blabbered.

"Worse," Romulus sighed. "I swore on the river Styx."

Reyna groaned. Octavian and I turned to her sharply. I knew that the Styx was a river in the Underworld, but I don't understand why someone would swear by a river, let alone why it was such a big deal.

"He really can't do it," she muttered. "Breaking an oath sworn on the river Styx invites a fate worse than death. Nobody can challenge it, not even the gods."

"Are you kidding me?" Octavian gasped. "What kind of bullshit is that! Why the hell would you even do that?"

"To stop idiots like you from trying to change my mind."

"Listen, dumbass," I hissed. "We came here after a week of nonstop travel. We almost died a million times. I almost lost my arm! And now you're telling me that you don't want to save the world because you don't feel like it?"

"That's right," he said, lacing his fingers and putting them behind his head.

"This was a mistake," Reyna muttered. "Shouldn't have come here."

"You're right," I growled. "Let's get out of this place. If we catch a plane now, we might be able to get back to Camp in less than a day. We can knock out this idiot, take his stuff – "

"No," Reyna whispered. "I meant me. I shouldn't have done this. Should've known better. I'm better off alone."

"Finally, one of you is making sense," Romulus said.

"Shut up," Octavian and I said at the same time. Reyna collapsed on the couch. The vacant expression had returned.

"I knew I wasn't enough. I wasn't strong enough and my father hated me. I wasn't strong enough, and my sister abandoned me. I thought I was strong enough and even went on a quest to prove it and look at us now. It's because of me."

"It's because of you that we made it this far," I said. "We would have died in the train. You killed Lycaon! You saved us in the gas station!"

"But we still failed," she whispered. I thought her eyes started to well with tears. But that was impossible, right? Reyna doesn't cry.

I reached over and took her hands, shaking them hard. "That's not your fault," I snapped.

"Percy's right," Octavian said. "It's all our faults. We failed. Now we have to live with it."

I looked to him for support, and all I saw reflected Reyna. He looked skinnier when he slouched. Octavian looked no different from the loser he thought he was. Maybe I should be looking like that too if rage wasn't boiling in my chest.

I glared at Romulus. Then I stood and grabbed his shirt, trying to pull him to his feet. It was impossible with one arm. I only managed to make him lean forward.

"This is your fault!" I yelled. "We succeeded. We're here, aren't we? This quest was doomed from the start. We were supposed to find the king of Rome, not an old man who's too scared to get out of his own house."

Romulus sputtered with laughter. "Can you hear yourself right now? You failed in your stupid quest, and you pin it on me? Gods, I didn't know how far Rome had fallen, but now I finally understand why it's dying. If they have to rely on legionaries like you to save them, then they're not long for the world anyway, Titans or no. They're just the rain that will sweep away the unworthy."

"Do you even know why I'm like this?" he cackled. "I'm not a man or a god. I am Rome. A reflection of Rome! My existence is tied to the existence of the empire, of the legion that defends it and the praetors that lead it! You don't even have two of them, do you? You're a bunch of scared children who should have died long ago. The world has no need for us anymore! The Twelfth Legion is paranoid, helpless, weak, and terrified. And you would insult me? Look to yourself first!"

He wiped a tear from his eye. I released him and Romulus fell back on the couch. He continued watching as if nothing ever happened.

The worst insults are the ones that are true. I knew what he said was right: we were doomed to fail from the beginning. There was no way a legion of teenagers and a handful of veterans could hold off an army of monsters led by a Titan. They must be dead already.

I felt my heart plummet to my feet, felt my mind and spirit spiralling out of control. Maybe it was fate that brought me to New York. Maybe it was a sign that playing at swords and prophecies was a game I couldn't win, a small fantasy to make my life a little sweeter for a moment and forever bitter for the rest of my years. I'd failed. Fully and completely.

At least I could see my mom again. Right? She'd know what to do. Family always does. Octavian still has his parents. Maybe we could even find Reyna's sister. Then it'll be okay. Right?

Shame blossomed in my chest like rot. I couldn't believe I was thinking of this. I made myself sick. But what is there left to do?

My eyes fixated on Romulus. Maybe revenge wasn't out of the question. He wouldn't have anyone to turn to – he had no family left. Maybe that was punishment enough: eternal solitude with only an elephant and a horse for company. That's right. He had no family, ever since he killed –

I blinked. It felt so far away now, but it was only a few days ago that I had that dream, the horrible vision where brother killed brother and I fell through the earth and into darkness. What was his brother's name?

"Remus," I said out loud. Romulus's eyes slowly shifted to me.

"What did you say?" he whispered.

"Remus. Your brother? The one you murd – "

His hand was on my throat before I could think. I felt myself soaring through the room for a split second before I crashed to the ground.

"Don't say his name!" Romulus screamed. He charged at me, but Reyna and Octavian jumped in his way, golden swords ready. The two of them stood guard while I gasped for breath.

"Why not?" I challenged, trying to make my voice sound more confident than I felt. "It's not like he meant anything to you. If he did, you wouldn't have killed him!"

"Do you stand for this?" Romulus snapped, glaring at my friends. "Do you stand with this fool as he insults the man who saved you? Your king?"

"The king of Rome would help in her hour of need," Octavian said softly. "I don't know who you are."

"You killed him so you could chase your dreams. To build something worth his life! And now you'll let it die?"

"Rome killed him, not me," Romulus screamed. "The poisonous dream that the gods planted in my head. The greatest empire the world has ever seen is nothing compared to his life. We were brothers! Twins! You can't know what it's like to be torn away from the only good thing in your life!"

"I do," Reyna said. "I… I killed my father. I know what it's like. But if you just – "

"I don't care about you! I want Rome to die. I want to see my brother again. I might not be able to bring him back, but at least I can come to him and beg forgiveness."

"That's your plan?" I gaped. "You want to kill yourself just so you can see your brother? Thousands of people are going to die because of you! They're going to lose their families too. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"I don't care," Romulus screeched. "I can't do anything about them. You Romans took everything from me – first my brother, then my legacy, and now my own body. There is nothing left for me to do but die."

Romulus leaped forward to grab me. Reyna and Octavian stood in his way, holding him back with apparent ease. Still, the old man tried to fight them off, yelling curses as he did. It gave me time to absorb his words, and soon I felt nothing but pity. We made him the creature he was today. He was our weakness made manifest, and we blamed him for something that we've done, intentionally or not. And right now, only one of us can help the other.

"I can save you," I said to myself. I rose to my feet and approached him. He was close enough to reach out and grab me, and he did. I stopped Octavian and Reyna from pushing him away.

"I know what it means to lose your family. We all do. But now I'm asking you to save mine. I know you think it's selfish, so let me make it worth your while."

"Percy?" Octavian asked uncertainly.

"I swear that I will change Rome. I swear to protect my friends and family, to remember the forgotten, and protect your brother's legacy. I swear it on the river Styx."

Time slowed down as I said the words. For that moment, I felt the power of my vow: an ancient force that made Romulus's magic trivial in comparison. I felt three sets of hands clutch my very soul, ready to tear it apart the second I broke my promise.

A wave of dizziness and the stench of brimstone assaulted me, and I fell to my knees.

"Percy!" My friends crouched down, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me awake.

"Are you okay?" Octavian demanded as Reyna fumed.

"What were you thinking? Do you know what you've just done? Swearing on the river is not a joke! You can't break that vow!"

"I know," I mumbled. "You don't need to worry. I was going to do all those things anyway."

"Please," Octavian snorted, though he smiled as he did. "You need us just to stay on your feet."

"There's nothing wrong with that," I muttered as they helped me up. Romulus had stepped back. The anger was replaced with wary curiosity.

"You'd do that?" he asked. "For me?"

"For Rome," I corrected. "For my family. Helping you out is just a happy side effect. And if it means you can help me too – well, that's just even better."

Where he looked down on his nose before, Romulus now studied me like an investor wondering if a deal was too good to be true.

"Saving the legion would mean living longer," he finally said. "It means that I won't be able to see my brother for centuries to come."

"You don't want to meet your brother," I said quietly. "You said it yourself. What you want is his forgiveness." I found myself thinking of my mom. I think I was starting to understand my own feelings.

"But I know that if he truly loved you, then he'd want the best for you," I decided.

"I don't think he was the problem," Reyna said slowly, more to herself than to Romulus. "I think he's already forgiven you. But you haven't forgiven yourself."

"I know that forcing yourself to be alone won't help," Octavian said. "It's not weakness to ask for help. Even if it's in the form of Percy."

I managed a smile. Romulus stared at me, then at Octavian, then at Reyna.

"Do you believe in that? Truly? Enough that you would swear to it?"

"Isn't one unbreakable vow enough for you? There's no need to put my friends in danger. I've already – "

"I swear to lead Rome to its former glory," Octavian declared. "I swear to restore its honour and lead it to eternal peace and prosperity, even if it means using my sanity to fuel my augury. I swear it on the river Styx."

"I swear to create a home," Reyna declared. "For all lost demigods, looking for a second chance. I swear to take responsibility of the sins of my past and turn my self-hatred into strength I can give my loved ones. I swear it on the river Styx."

Now it was their turn to fall to the floor. Or they would have, if I hadn't reached out and grabbed them, even twisting my wounded arm to take hold of Octavian.

Romulus stared at us, mouth agape. "You're all insane," he said.

"Well, we're demigods. It's in our blood," I shrugged.

"Couldn't say it better myself," he muttered.

He did nothing for a long time. Romulus simply looked at us, trying to find a trap that wasn't there. I met his gaze. There was something different about him now. The crow's feet peeking out from the corners of his eyes hinted at his age rather than emphasizing it. I thought there were a few liver spots missing, and in their absence, his unblemished skin shone with vigour.

"Less than half an hour has passed since your arrival," Romulus declared. The surge of confidence in his voice made me stand a little straighter. "The Twelfth Legion should still be fighting for their lives. Come. We have no time to waste."

"Took you long enough," Reyna beamed.

"Prepare the armoury," Romulus commanded imperiously. "Press the button and the nets will do the rest. One-arm, go to the kitchen and take some nectar and ambrosia. Maybe take some for yourself. And girl? Prepare my pegasus."

"The return of the king," Octavian squealed.

"You just had to make it nerdy," I chuckled.

"It's the perfect opportunity! I mean – "

"Go!" roared Romulus. His shout made me shudder as we leaped to his instruction and scrambled to do the chores he set out for us. For a minute, I was reminded of my first days in the legion. The memory of mind-numbing tedium pushed me to move even faster.

The kitchen was fully stocked. There was nectar and ambrosia in almost every cabinet and drawer, and even some stuffed in the fridge as ice cubes. I'd have to try that later. For now, I settled for pushing them out to the kitchen counter. I did it as fast as my arm permitted me, and once I got enough to cover the whole surface, I started to take some for myself.

Nectar tasted like a sweet, burning honey that reminded me of the one time I tried champagne to celebrate my mom publishing her first short story. Ambrosia, on the other hand, was the flavour of nostalgia; of my mom's dip, my blue birthday cake, and the pizza I shared with my roommates, one night in summer, forever ago.

I blinked tears out of my eyes. It was because of the healing, I swear. I tried to take my mind off it, but morbid curiosity won out and I caught myself watching as the skin and flesh on my left arm slowly knit together. It wasn't fully healed – far from it. But it was serviceable. I tried to make a fist. The pain was just agonizing and no longer excruciating. Maybe I could fight.

An earthquake shook the room. I turned to see its epicentre charge straight past me and towards a terrified Octavian, who dove back inside the armoury at the sight of the young elephant. Hannibal was clad in an enormous black harness like a bulletproof vest, only with hooks and straps trailing behind him.

"Get back here," Romulus barked. "Hannibal would never hurt you. Girl, where is my steed?"

I had no idea where Reyna had learned to saddle a horse. I don't even know where it came from. But now, the already beautiful pegasus was bedecked with a saddle and stirrup a few shades darker than its coat. I never really appreciated how big horses could get, and never understood the sheer presence they commanded. Scipio corrected that.

"He's amazing," Reyna grinned. "I can't believe how easy it is to saddle him. It's like he can sense how much we need him."

"Of course," Romulus said. "But we can take about that later. We have more pressing matters. One-arm – why haven't you healed your wound?"

"I – I did," I stuttered.

"You call that 'healed'? There's a gash the size of Hadrian's wall on your arm bleeding you out! Did you not use the unicorn poultice?"

"The what?" I gaped.

Romulus frowned. "I thought – never mind. I can teach you later. For now, come with me. In fact – all three of you, come with me. I'll patch you up. You can tell me about your journey here as I go."

We went to him like cubs to their mother, yipping and chattering along the way, telling everything from the beginning. Octavian and I did most of the talking, and I would pause now and then to watch Reyna react to our story as well. From my arrival to camp, the Bellator Torneamentum, Marcus's betrayal, and the tenuous year of training following his declaration of war. I took over and told him about our journey to get to him. He perked up when we mentioned Lupa, frowned when we repeated what Lycaon had said, and his expression only darkened when we heard of our meeting with Attius Navius.

"And then you came to save us, and here we are," Octavian finished.

"I'm not sure if I should be happy or concerned," Romulus muttered. He was spreading cream on my arm the colour of molten gold and silver. It numbed my skin so completely that for a second, I was worried it had fallen off completely. But after a few moments it faded away, leaving a jagged scar running down my forearm. I stared at it in wonder and made another fist. There was hardly any pain at all, only some stiffness in my bones. I felt a grin creep up on my face. I was back in the fight.

"Pretty much," Octavian said, grinning. Romulus arched an eyebrow to an oblivious Octavian.

Once he was done with me, he grabbed some of the nectar and ambrosia and tossed them to my friends while I stored the rest into our backpacks, upending them to make room. Romulus went to secure the weapons cache to Hannibal.

"Can you believe this is actually happening?" Octavian gushed between mouthfuls. "We did it. We actually did it!"

"We haven't won yet," Reyna told him, back to her grim demeanour.

"Now that we're bringing him with us, we just might turn the tide," I said, stretching out my arm.

"God versus Titan," Octavian agreed. "We can win this war!"

"But how are we going to get there?" Reyna asked. Our celebrations were cut short.

"We're all set," Romulus declared.

He stood, arms folded, while his elephant and pegasus shuffled around restlessly.

"I know you're eager to fight for your home. I can't wait to see how much has changed. But before we depart, it is tradition for your commanding office to give an inspirational speech," he declared. "You met Attius Navius. The old snake must have tried to corrupt you with visions of who you could become. But let me remind me of who you are now."

He looked to me first. "Perseus Jackson, son of Neptune. A warrior born, everyone tells you that you love your friends too much – so much so that you believe it is a sign of strength. They believe it will be your downfall, yet your compassion has carried you further than your sword arm ever will. From you, Rome can learn the value of loyalty."

"Octavian Aelius, legacy of Apollo. The curse of augury and a gift for words will win wars and defeat enemies when strength will inevitably fail. Your ambition has driven you far beyond your station and farther still, now that you have friends to teach you to trust in yourself. I only hope that your wisdom will not fail you when you wield augury. From you, Rome can regain the tenacity it used to conquer the world."

"Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, daughter of Bellona. You carry a burden your friends cannot even begin to imagine. But you prevailed even after your father, your sister, and your mother turned their backs on you. And now you have found your strength anew in another family, one you have earned and long since deserved. From you, Rome can once more learn inner strength."

"The three of you," he declared. Romulus had his hands folded behind his backs, shoulders back and chin up, a general surveying his troops and finding them to be more than exceptional.

"It is clear to me now that a new generation has begun. The Titanomachy and all the hardships of war would destroy any legion, but if the other legionaries are anything like you three, then I doubt you even need me for help. I look forward to see any two of you to lead as praetors of the legion."

"Why can't all three of us be praetor?" I asked.

Romulus chuckled. "There can only ever be two praetors, Percy Jackson. One is a dictatorship, and three is a crowd, as you say. Whenever three people rule Rome, as it was in Caesar and Augustus's times, they turned against each other, and the legion suffered for it. No. There can only be two. Whoever does not attain that station of office, never take it as a failure. Learn to fight for something bigger than yourself, wherever you are in the legion. I expect great things from you. I demand it."

"Now we make ready for war. Reyna, Octavian, climb up to Hannibal. Percy, you get to ride Scipio."

My heart started hammering in my chest. I approached him slowly, carefully, savouring the moment as I took up his reins. I reached out and felt his mind brush mine. The blades of wind in my hair and the speed of a pegasus letting me charge into battle trickled into my thoughts. It would be glorious.

But while Octavian clambered up the elephant with a dopy grin on his face, I turned just in time to see Reyna cast a wistful look at Scipio before resigning herself to Hannibal. Maybe I just imagined it. Right? Probably. Besides, I should be the one who gets Scipio. I can talk to horses! After all, I was the son of –

No. I told myself – I promised myself – that I wouldn't be defined by my parentage. I won't start now just because it was convenient. I shot a meaningful look at Romulus. He pretended not to notice, but I caught him looking away as I did. That sealed the deal.

"Reyna," I called out. "My arm's feeling great, but it's not perfect. I don't know if I can do mounted combat, and especially not in mid-air. Do you want to take him for a spin?"

Her eyes lit up. She jumped down from Hannibal and took the reins from me with a shocked expression.

"Are you sure?" she stammered.

_I like this one, _Scipio murmured in my thoughts. He bent down and pushed his head against Reyna, catching her unaware and making her stumble.

And for the first time since I've met her, Reyna laughed.

"I'm sure," I said firmly, all traces of envy chased away. She rushed forward to hug me, whispered her thanks, and vaulted on to the pegasus in one smooth motion. I saw Scipio and Reyna in a different light that day and came to an important realization: some people just complete each other. And sometimes one of those people is a horse with wings.

"Are you coming?" Octavian called out.

"Well, someone's going to have to babysit you, right?" I shouted back. As I jogged to him, I thought I saw Romulus wink at me.

At Hannibal's side, I jumped up and caught Octavian's proffered hand. He pulled me up and I moved into position behind him. Even with my view a little obscured, there was something empowering being at the back of a war elephant. Riding one at a zoo doesn't do it justice. Knowing that you have one of the most powerful animals on the planet on your side as you go into battle changed the game.

"This is great and all," Octavian started, "but how are we going to get to New Rome? Do you even know where it is?"

"Of course," Romulus intoned as he walked deeper into his domain. His loyal animals followed him without direction. "I always know where the seat of Rome's power is located. It's like asking me to find my own nose."

"Okay, that's great and all," Octavian said. "But that doesn't answer my question. Are you going to teleport us there?"

Romulus smiled. "Not exactly."

He'd led us to a dead end, a blank section of the wall, the only break in the pattern of luxury. Then he placed a hand on a random spot and a blue triangle lit up beside it. The wall started to retract upon itself like a PowerPoint transition. It was a beautiful shifting of gears and other machinery I didn't understand, slowly pulling away and leaving an elephant-sized doorway in the once-empty hall leading into a pitch-black tunnel.

"The Labyrinth?" Reyna gasped. "What are we doing in there?"

"It's the fastest way of transportation known to man."

"If it doesn't get you killed! Nothing survives the Labyrinth!" she cried out.

"It is possible, if one knows how to navigate it," Romulus said. He didn't look her in the eye as he spoke.

"What the hell are you talking about? The Labyrinth? This is it? Daedalus's masterpiece?"

"Isn't a labyrinth like a maze?" I asked out loud.

"Children," Romulus grumbled. He stepped into the wide maw of the tunnel. Once again, his animals followed their master, but even their loyalty was strained. Hannibal snorted and trumpeted a sad note while Scipio shook his mane. But still they followed.

Romulus talked as we walked in the darkness. His words were punctuated by shuffling feet not from our own. Whispers of monsters and creatures flitted around us like flies on a carcass, haunting our every move. Romulus did not slow.

"Daedalus built this place as a prison for his king's pet monster. He was the greatest inventor the world has ever seen – gods included – and served his king faithfully. No one could fathom the intricacies of the labyrinth. It's a living thing, seeking out your intentions and fears and twisting your path to lead you astray. Adventurers leave the Labyrinth mad or hundreds of miles from where they wanted to go."

"But one day, a young man came to kill the monster. And when his beloved student, the king's daughter, asked him to help the hero she had fallen in love with, he couldn't say no. Daedalus gave her a ball of string, and with it, she guided the hero to navigate the maze and slay the beast," Romulus said in a quiet monotone.

"Exactly," Reyna said. "Daedalus gave Ariadne an enchanted ball of string, and that's what led her through the maze."

"Not quite," Romulus corrected. "He gave her a ball of string, yes, but there was no magic involved. Ariadne was one of the few mortals whose eyes could pierce the veils of the Mist."

"That's impossible," Reyna declared.

"I don't think so," I said slowly. "My mom told me that she can see monsters too, and she's mortal. That's how she found out about our world. That's how she met my dad."

"That is true," Romulus said. "Most demigods' mortal parents share this ability."

"But if only mortals can see through it… how are you doing this?" Octavian asked.

"I was mortal, once," Romulus said softly. "I've heard all the stories. Most believe that Mars is my father. Some believe that Jupiter came to my mother in the form of a man. But I was a mortal – a bastard. My mother Rhea Silvia was a vestal virgin who broke her vows just that once. And in a fit of fear and shame, she sent me and my brother down a river and into Lupa's waiting arms. Or paws, I should say."

"Then… why were you two chosen?" I asked, awestruck. "How did two bastards become the founders of Rome?"

"Because people believed the story," Romulus replied. "They were desperate for a leader, and when they heard two bastard sons were trying to build a village so far away from anything of value that only the blessed and the foolish would try it, they believed in it very strongly – so strongly, that even the gods started to believe it. That's how it all began. A bunch of villagers looking for a leader. Turning two boys into something they're not. And look where it got me."

He rounded on us without warning. "You will have to change them. From the inside out. Never let this happen again." Romulus pleaded with us. If it wasn't so dark, I would've thought he looked afraid.

"They thought I was a cold, calculating, and cruel warmonger, and that's all I ever was. Don't be what they make you.

I thought about that. The legion had always pushed me to become stronger and tougher. It's made me more confident and outspoken, sure, but sometimes I wonder what the old me would think of me today. It was far too easy to forget that I could do all these amazing things with swords and spears and chariots and even water not because of my own ability, but because there was always somebody there to guide me. Octavian helped me with school, Felix with the bow, Vanessa with machines, and Alex with every tool in a delinquent's arsenal.

I did all those things and so much more. The legion had shaped me to become a better person. But it wasn't all good. It made me tougher, but it was starting to affect what I valued most. I was cold and uncaring to people I didn't know. Sometimes I'd put my ambitions over other people's happiness – and I would never have done that in the past no matter what my intentions. The fuse on my temper got shorter and shorter every day, and nobody seemed to think that was a bad thing.

I was becoming more Roman. And after meeting the embodiment of Rome, I wasn't so sure if that was a good thing any more.

My thoughts were cut short. The dark tunnel we followed gave way to a glimmer of light and a faint breeze. It carried scattered sounds of battle and the smell of New Rome. I never noticed that it even had a distinct smell until now.

"We're home," Reyna said.

We came out of a tunnel in the Colosseum, right in the city. New Rome was as beautiful as ever. I had forgotten all that gleaming marble and the cobblestone path. I would kiss the ground.

But something was wrong. It was hard to put my finger on exactly what, until I realized that three demigods had just burst through an underground tunnel with an elephant, a pegasus, and the first king of Rome, and nobody was celebrating. In fact, there was nobody at all. It was a ghost town.

"Where is everybody?" I said.

"The war," Octavian realized, pushing Hannibal into motion. "They're all fighting, even the citizens. Gods, Jules is that desperate? We have to go – now!"

"Then I wish you good fortune," Romulus said behind us. I looked down and saw him already backing up to the tunnel.

"What? You just got here! Rome needs you more than ever!"

"What they need is a leader," he called out. "I'd just bring them back to the past and repeat the same mistakes. You, on the other hand, can lead them to the future." He paused before continuing.

"Besides. I… I don't think I'm ready for that kind of responsibility. Not yet. Seeing me like this… it would crush them, and that would crush me. No. My time is over. It's your turn."

His words chilled me, even more so that I knew they were true. An hour ago, I would have taken it as cowardice. Now I can see that sharing the burden and the glory is sometimes harder.

I looked to Reyna. "You go ahead of us," I said. "You're faster."

"Me?" she stuttered. "Are you sure? But I don't think they'll follow my lead."

"Are you kidding me? You're going to arrive on the battlefield on the back of a pegasus. You'll be fine," Octavian said dismissively.

"Alright," Reyna said, drawing herself up. She straightened and dug her heels into Scipio's flanks. Two coppery wings immediately spread out, flashing like a glimmer of hope.

"Good luck, legionaries," Romulus whispered. "When next we meet, your legend will far exceed mine. Now show them what it means to be Roman."

Scipio reared up and with a single mighty beat of his wings, he took the skies. Octavian and I trailed behind him and Reyna on the back of an elephant, dragging the legion's last hope with us.

Romulus left without another word.

* * *

_(A/N) Hi everyone! Sorry for the long wait, I was burned out from trying to write every single day, but I'm finally back! Please leave a review and let me know what you think of the chapter and the story. Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy!_


	11. Chapter 11

I pictured my friends and family dying. The empty streets of New Rome offered nothing to distract us from that possibility. I wondered if Alex finally ran out of tricks. If Vanessa's machines malfunctioned. If the enemy collapsed on Felix's line of archers. If we'd arrive just in time to see Jules's head on a spike.

I pushed those thoughts away. We'd come too far to fall short now.

"This is it," I muttered. "I can't believe the three of us are going to save the legion."

"You better get used to it, because this isn't going to be the last time that we have to do the impossible!" Octavian crowed. "And that reminds me."

He turned slightly and handed me something in a closed fist. I reached out and grasped the cold metal of a golden coin pressed into my palm. It was like a shot of adrenaline injected straight into my veins.

"Thanks," I told Octavian. "But how are you going to fight?"

"Are you kidding me? I've got our best weapon right here!" he patted Hannibal's head, and the elephant trumpeted.

Octavian was different. In the best of times he would never be caught charging into battle. Not because he was a coward, but because he'd think things through and go where he would be needed instead of the front lines with everybody else. Now, some sort of battle fury must have taken him or something. He was bouncing on his seat, slamming his palms onto Hannibal's armoured back, quivering with energy, and it was contagious.

I flicked the coin into the air and caught a gladius. The reassuring weight in my hand grounded me, making me enter the state of heightened awareness and focus that a fight always gave me.

We raced past New Rome and into Camp Jupiter. The sounds of battle were getting louder and louder. My pounding heart kept pace with the clash of swords and ringing of steel. The marble streets and white walls of the city was replaced by soot-stained barracks. The solid walls around the principia were topped with enormous ballistae and smaller scorpions below them. They shot quarrels nonstop, into the enemy army hidden behind the walls and closed gates.

Finally, we had arrived.

"Whatever happens, I'm glad that we met," Octavian said, drawing in a shaky breath. I laughed, the sound a few octaves higher than normal.

"You can tell me all about it after the battle. Now let's get going. We have a war to win!"

"Octavian? Percy?" someone called out. I scanned the walls and saw a barely-armoured legionary standing at the edge, the only one looking away from the battle. Even without any equipment the silhouette of a wheelchair was unmistakeable.

"Jules!" I yelled back. Octavian nudged Hannibal forward, stopping him just before he busted through our gates. "It's so good to see you!"

"What the hell? Why do you have an elephant?" he shouted from the walls.

"It's a long story!" Octavian replied. "Just open the doors, and we can help!"

"I don't know if a single elephant can help us now," he shouted. I noticed for the first time that some of the siege weapons were broken or outright destroyed. A ballista took a direct hit from a boulder, sending the operator flying into the camp. Jules didn't blink.

"That pegasus reinforced our centre formation, but we're still crumbling!"

"Just tell us where we're needed! Reyna needs our help," I shouted.

"Left flank is falling apart. Get there as fast as you can!" Jules took a second to absorb my words. "Wait. That was Reyna? Then where's Romulus?"

I didn't know what to answer. Do I lie to our praetor, or tell him that we technically failed?

"He told us to go ahead!" Octavian yelled. "But we didn't come empty handed. Look!"

Jules craned his neck and gasped. Even as boulders and arrows rained down, he was completely taken by the treasure trove we carried.

"Imperial gold," he breathed.

"We'll explain everything later, just open the gate!"

"I can't! They broke the mechanism!"

"Not a problem," Octavian muttered. He shot me one last look. "Ready?"

"Ready," I grinned.

Octavian pounded his fists on Hannibal's back. With a mighty cry, the elephant charged the great gates and broke through them like they were toothpicks. The battlefield he revealed knocked the wind out of me.

Legionaries were fighting ferociously. Jules had separated the legion into three wide blocks and covered the centre, left, and right flanks. A simple layout, but it was in tatters.

All attempts at formations and strategy were abandoned, and everywhere Romans were fighting their own personal battles. They must have tried to hold them at the Tiber, but even now they were getting pushed back. The wounded and dying were strewn across the space between camp and battlefield, the only mercy afforded them. Our archers were all but destroyed. Survivors had given up fighting completely and instead tried to attend to the injured.

The survivors were locked in battle against all manner of monsters. Laistrygonian giants hurled flaming cannonballs at the back of their army while Cyclopes towered over everything. Darting between their feet were hundreds of hellhounds, harpies, men with dog heads, women with snake bodies, and lightning-fast demons with mismatched legs.

There was no time to think. Octavian yelled and screamed at Hannibal to go to the left in English and Latin. The elephant was consumed in his own battle rage, and his trumpeting made me refocus. We weren't losing. Not anymore.

Hannibal charged through the open plains and crashed to the battle lines. Roman legionaries jumped out of the way while monsters squawked in surprise and disappeared under his feet with satisfying crunches. But just as many of them dodged Hannibal, mostly the dracaena carrying spears and tridents.

Still, the sight of an elephant charging into battle was enough to rally the legionaries and disperse the monsters, if only for a moment. We had to use that opportunity, but there was no officer among them. I couldn't spot the green cloak of a centurion. But somebody had to take charge.

"Form ranks!" I shouted. Nobody responded, so I leaped down and shoved them into position, letting Octavian and Hannibal keep up their rampage. They were probably my seniors – but right now, I was the one with a level head.

"Form ranks!" I shouted. "First line holds them off! The rest of you, arm yourselves!"

Years of drilling made them respond to the person with the loudest voice. Demigods snapped into attention. Battered and confused legionaries made a thin line between the monsters and our comrades, a shield wall with only steel shortswords and crude spears. But a single Imperial gold weapon at its centre was enough to keep them at bay, at least for a moment.

I caught glimpses of demigods behind me dropping their notched weapons and grabbing the ones we brought. My attention was soon recaptured when I jerked my head sideways and dodged a thrust from one of the dog-men.

I parried his spear and lunged forward, catching him in the neck, evaporating him with a strangled gurgle. I continued the offensive, a merciless onslaught of sharp jabs and ripostes. It was becoming harder and harder to stay in formation. This was my home goddammit, and these assholes have had their fun.

We were getting overwhelmed. I killed monster after monster, but the exhausted legionaries I'd saved were starting to get pushed back. Then in a wave of golden light, their comrades entered the fray once more. I've never seen that much Imperial gold used at the same time. Those wounded, tired demigods who were on the cusp of dying just seconds ago, now fought with renewed vigour. A single scratch from those blades spelled death for the monsters. Their strength, their very existence was sapped away, making them easy targets for the others.

Before long we stood in a field of dust, all that remained from the monsters. The legionaries let out a ragged cheer and nearly collapsed. I was all too eager to join them, but I forced myself to stay on my feet, grab them by the arm, and got them to stand.

We were losing even more ground. The ballistae and scorpions tore through enemy infantry, but the Laistrygonians were destroying them just as fast. The centre formation was in tatters. Hannibal was caught in a headlock by an enormous Cyclops. Reyna and Scipio were nowhere to be found.

I grit my teeth. If I waded into that sea of monsters alone, I'll die. I might go down fighting, but it won't change anything. I needed a legion.

"Agmen formate!" I yelled. Instantly, the legionaries around me formed a phalanx, locked shields bristling with golden spears and shields with me at the centre of the second rank.

"Take the weapons!" I commanded, switching to my spear. "Advance!"

We were a slower, bigger target. I saw plenty of opportunities to lash out, to throw myself at the monsters and cut them down myself. But together, we turned the battle around.

Indomitable and inexorable, we took the enemy head-on and won. The monsters charged us and were met with Imperial gold. They pushed us back, raked the shields, and legionaries went down all around me. But more took their place. The instant they slowed their attacks, the second rank lunged forward to cut them down. A small square of thirty demigods was all it takes.

We saved demigod after demigod, small pockets of survivors gawking at us like we were gods bedecked in Rome's lost treasures. With every legionary we saved, our ranks grew, and slowly but surely, we made progress.

It was a different kind of battle. I thirsted to leap into battle, sword in my hand and screaming bloody murder, but that's not how Rome won its wars. A single warrior was useless, but a leader? A commander? That's what makes a legion.

"Percy?" I heard someone shout. Alex was grinning as she rode a hellhound like a bull, driving her daggers into its neck before it fell.

"Alex!" I shouted. I wanted to hug her. That was one friend I'd saved – but there were a lot more who needed saving.

"Take over! I'm going to go help Octavian," I told her.

She blinked and shook her head violently. Only Alex could be more scared of leadership than fighting monsters alone.

"I – I can't – "

"You need to! There's nobody else. Now get going!"

I called for a halt in the formation and the droning march of a nearly a hundred demigods stopped at my command. I pushed through the front, and Alex quickly filled in for me.

"Legion! Uh, forward!"

I was worried they'd disobey. Nobody took Alex seriously back in camp. But in a fight, it's hard to find someone more reliable. The legion marched forward.

Now I was back on my own. I felt exposed now, vulnerable to a stray arrow or a spear. But I could move freely through the battlefield and went straight to Hannibal.

I saw too many horrors along the way. Demigods holding dying friends. Monsters killing legionaries on their knees, begging for mercy. Romans tearing them apart in kind, laughing as they did. It was almost too much. I couldn't save them, and everything I saw felt like a punch in the gut.

I couldn't save them. But maybe I can save Octavian.

Hannibal was still fighting the Cyclops. He trumpeted, cried out, gored it with his tusks, all to no avail. The monster was much too fast for its size and struck our elephant in the ribs once, twice, three times with an enormous club of twisted iron. It only seemed to piss him off, but it won't be long before even Hannibal would fall.

I spotted Octavian holding a golden gladius, stuck in between the two rampaging beasts, dodging in every direction just to avoid getting trampled.

"Octavian!" I yelled. His head snapped up, and he almost died because of it, barely avoiding the Cyclops's foot.

"Get out of here! I got this!" he shouted back.

"No!" I jumped into the tangle of limbs, juking left and right, and grabbed my oldest friend on the shoulder.

"Together," I said.

Octavian grinned. "Together," he agreed.

As one, we charged the Cyclops. The monster, a huge creature bleeding from a thousand cuts and wearing only a loincloth, didn't notice us approach. Octavian and I were free to dart in and out like a pack of wolves, tearing at its feet. He realized much too late that we were slowly killing him.

With a scream, I held my spear with both hands and rammed it into the back of its knee and twisted. I felt bones snapping. The Cyclops collapsed in a heap, nearly crushing me. It was a simple matter for Hannibal to crush its legs and for Octavian to deliver the killing blow right through its eye.

"We're winning!" Octavian shouted. He had a mad grin plastered on his face.

I looked around me. The legionaries I left under Alex's command was making solid progress. They were moving faster than they did with me and were tearing into the centre of the enemy monsters. Things were looking up, but that's where the monsters were most concentrated. They'd have plenty of time to form ranks of their own. Even now, through the dust and sweat, I could see a Cyclops bellowing orders.

"Not yet," I muttered. "Let's go!"

Octavian looked confused, but he trusted me enough to follow my lead. I charged while he mounted Hannibal. Even with a head start I soon felt him trudging alongside me. It was all he could do to control the elephant.

We reached our flanking force. The legionaries paused to stare at Hannibal. Behind all that Imperial gold, you'd never guess that they were bruised and beaten. They would soon collapse from exhaustion and probably had just enough in them to do one last charge. I had to make it count.

"Alex!" I called out. Alex appeared from somewhere, covered in dust and ichor, holding two new knives. These ones shone gold.

"Good job holding it down. Are there any centurions left?"

"No," she replied. Dust and soot covered her face. I realized that some of the blood on her clothes was her own.

"We were overwhelmed from the very beginning. Then the centurions started to disappear one after another, and that's what finally made us break. I have no idea what's going on."

"Then it's up to us," I decided. "Legion!"

They snapped to attention.

"Cuneum formate!" I ordered. They shuffled along, demigods cursing and bumping into each other, but soon they'd formed a wedge formation, an arrowhead with me at its point.

I looked at our opposition. The Cyclops, who must've been their general, had corralled the monsters into a formation eerily similar to our own. Dog-headed men formed a phalanx, dracaena holding spears behind them, and hellhounds waited on the flanks. It was solid. Luckily, we had an elephant.

"Octavian!" I shouted. He spurned Hannibal into motion and let him do the talking. The animal charged into battle, heedless of the danger even as the monsters hurled spears and tridents that pierced his thick hide. He broke the formation, forcing them to scatter, and the Cyclops could only fight back after Hannibal had stampeded his way through. By then it was too late.

"Advance!" I screamed. My battle cry was taken up by my fellow legionaries, and together, we sprinted towards death and glory.

I waded into battle blade-first, weaving the golden gladius into the monsters. Claws and teeth tore at my skin, but I didn't care. None of us did. Our enemies didn't seem to understand that right then and there, we were the monsters. Legionaries ripped through the formation with a savage fervour. We attacked mindlessly, letting momentum and years of training take control. It wasn't long before we routed them.

Soon enough, legionaries started pulling down the Cyclops like ants, stabbing at its feet and vaulting off Hannibal to overpower the enormous monster. It didn't have a chance.

I lost all sense of time. I didn't know how long we'd been fighting, only that there were more monsters to kill. I didn't even notice our men dropping like flies all around me, succumbing to exhaustion or their wounds, demanding the attention of their friends and taking more allies out of the battle. But it was enough. We saved the centre formation.

My feet started to drag themselves through the mud. The battle had taken us all the way to the banks of the Little Tiber, at the point where it bent before the mouth of the Caldecott Tunnel. Strangely, in spite of everything, the monsters weren't fleeing the battle. Instead, they had rallied at the only place still at war. And now I know why.

A few hundred feet away, in the middle of a roiling combat between monster and demigod, a Titan reigned supreme. He was only as tall as a Laistrygonian giant, but even at this distance, his presence was unmistakeable. A team of our most powerful warriors surrounded him, attacking with telepathic coordination, like a pack of wolves in a hunt. But it was as nothing to him. Krios was both the storm and its eye.

"Fight!" he bellowed. "Fight for your lives! Fight for your freedom!"

Monsters rallied to his voice. They pushed deeper and deeper into our formation, fighting for far longer and with far more ferocity than they should have. They were more animals than soldiers, driven up into a fury as they slaughtered battered legionaries.

I looked for support. Everyone else had collapsed. Octavian was kneeling, shoving nectar and ambrosia down a shivering Alex's throat. Hannibal trumpeted, but it was a sad note laced with more exhaustion than strength. The monsters we broke had stopped their retreat and started forming lines for a final charge into our remaining battling force. There was nobody else.

No. That wasn't true. My greatest weapon lay at my feet. The Little Tiber was in turmoil; the normally tranquil river stirred up to a frenzy, white-water rapids stained red with the blood of its people. It was alive. And it was furious.

"Octavian," I called out. "Take charge. Get everybody to form ranks and repel their charge. If they reach our flank, it's over."

"Are you kidding me? Everybody's almost dead! Hannibal's in no condition to fight. How the hell are you still standing?" he shouted.

"I made a promise," I muttered, turning to him. "And I thought you did too."

Shame flickered in his eyes, quickly replaced with grim determination. "I'll get it done," he said.

"Good."

"Will you fight with me?"

"I can't. They need me there."

Octavian followed my eyes to stare at the Titan. "Oh. Well. Good luck with that."

"Thanks," I muttered, closing my eyes and drawing in a deep breath. I reached out with my mind, a sixth sense that quickly grasped the presence of the Tiber. It hit me like a boulder, a roiling hurricane that carried all the fear and desperation of the legion. I tasted a drop of the emotions it soaked in, anger and hopelessness from demigod and monster alike. I felt its strength, overflowing and untapped, lying in wait.

I breathed in and took a part of the river. Water enveloped me, dancing around my body and lending me its power. I breathed again. Water splashed into my face and gave me clarity. But it wasn't enough. I reached out with my own emotions. I poured out every ounce of wrath and rage into the water, and it became a torrent.

More. More, more, more! I needed more, goddammit, it's not enough! I lifted my arms, drawing the river into me. Water whirled around me, a tornado of the life-giving, life-taking primordial force, bending itself to serve my will. It was a river that delivered Romulus and Remus to Lupa. It was next to the Tiber that history's greatest empire was built. Now it was with water that I would fight a Titan.

There was no part of me that felt human. This is what it meant to be a god.

"Percy?"

My eyes snapped open. Octavian knelt, staring in awe. All around, demigods got back to their feet to look upon the sight of gallons of water spinning around me, creating my own personal hurricane.

"I'll see you on the other side," I grinned. And with that, I charged into battle once more.

Monsters and demigods steered clear of me. I ignored them, focusing on what was in front of me. A dracaena tried to lunge with her trident. I willed the water to obey and pushed the weapon aside while I sprang forward. The borrowed strength made me move faster than I've ever been, and I was just as surprised as the dracaena when I cut her in half. This might just work.

I pierced through their formation, felt legionaries fill in the gap behind me and start to counterattack. But even with my newfound strength I ground to a halt at the sight before me. Krios was fighting all our centurions at the same time. No – he was fighting. They were just keeping him busy.

Two curled rams' horns protruded from his great helmet. Thick hair braided with bronze ringlets swung beneath it, partly obscuring his bearded, snarling face. He was using a flattened chariot as a shield and a ballista javelin as a spear, but they weren't his true weapons.

Krios wore armour in the traditional Roman design, though the similarities ended there. Each piece was midnight black. Darker than black – it was like staring at the sky in a night with no moon, miles away from civilization. An absolute nothingness, deep and endless, that seemed to reach out and blind me. His breastplate was dotted with burning stars that shone with a false brightness – not quite sunlight, not quite moonlight, but something else entirely – something unknowing and ancient.

I watched as they flared and rearranged themselves. Half-forgotten nights of skygazing with Octavian and my friends was the only reason why I knew that constellation: Ursa Major, the Great Bear. The edges of his armour glowed deep purple.

"Get back!" one of the centurions yelled. Dakota, I realized. His trademark smile was gone. Blood oozed from a scalp wound and drenched half his face.

Krios lurched forward and slammed his improvised shield into the ground. It didn't just shake. The earth itself cracked before his might, a jagged scar forming from the impact. A pair of centurions took the opportunity to sneak up and try backstabbing him, but Krios turned to face them. The constellation on his chest shifted again, giving his armour an orange cast, and it was enough to make two hardened warriors squeal and jump to the side.

Krios belched out a torrent of flame, scorching the capes they wore. Constellation Draco, the Dragon. My heart sank as I began to understand exactly what I was facing. Even worse, only five centurions remained standing. One from the First Cohort was staunching the blood loss of his delirious comrade. One lay still in the distance. The other two were simply gone.

"Is this all you can do?" the Titan of the Stars screamed. "Is this the best that Rome has to offer? I endured millennia of torture in Tartarus for this?"

Then Reyna dove in from out of nowhere, her golden spear flashing. Scipio zipped through the sky with all the agility of a fighter jet, twisting and dodging out of the Titan's javelin and flames. Krios was much faster than even Reyna, but she made up for it with precise aim and timing – a scratch on the chest, a thrust to the back – but it was doing nothing more than annoy him. He laughed at her heroic attempt.

The fight was going nowhere. Not until I intervened.

I jumped into the fray. Boiling anger and forced calm fought for control over my actions, but anger won out. I had the brief satisfaction of surprising a Titan before I barrelled into Krios, rolling under a wide sweep from his javelin and using the momentum to swing my sword in an upward cut. For all the strength that water gave me, I didn't even leave a mark.

Krios roared, giving me enough time to sidestep a shield bash. But he wasn't finished. The Titan went on the offensive, alternating between his shield, spear, and fire. It was all I could do to survive, and only then because Reyna and the centurions were distracting him as well.

I tried to go in for a counterattack. I slipped under his guard and stabbed him at the exposed area between his breastplate and pauldrons. He saw it coming and twisted his body so that my blade hit solid armour. I blew my chance and I knew it. I dodged his shield, ducked under his javelin. He overextended, and instinct took over, pushing me to jump in and deliver the killing blow. It would have worked if he were an ordinary monster, but he wasn't. I realized my mistake too late. Flames erupted from Krios's mouth and he set himself on fire. There was no way to dodge. I was forced to block with water.

Steam billowed out from the collision and I was temporarily blinded. Then I saw a brilliant yellow light pierce the mist.

The constellations shifted again. Leo, the Lion.

I didn't know what was coming. I just knew I didn't want to be there when it did. Krios sprinted at me like a battering ram. I leaped to the side, accelerated with water, and still felt the Titan's charge brush against my back. He was faster than Lupa.

The earth seemed to shake. No – that was just my body, trembling as Krios faced me, laughing as he did.

"So, the rumours are true," he mused, blocking our centurions' attacks as an afterthought. "A child of the elder gods lives. You might be dangerous if you were a man, but a boy playing hero is no threat to anyone. Still, I suppose Saturn would be pleased if I brought him your head."

It finally started to sink in. All the water in the world won't make any difference. I was the most powerful I've ever been, and he took my attacks like they were nothing. This is a Titan, a remnant of ancient times when gods and monsters ruled the earth. I was just a scared kid from New York in over his head.

"Krios!" I looked up to see the source of the challenge. Reyna had returned. She had one hand on the reins, another holding her spear aloft. With the sun on Scipio's back, the pegasus' wings shone as bright as Imperial gold that wreathed Reyna like the laurels of victory.

I felt a familiar surge of strength and courage. Her power had finally come into play – but it was unlike anything I'd felt before. The power was amplified with so many people around us. I watched as legionaries pulled themselves to their feet. Knocked down centurions came back to the fight. The wounded were revitalized. Legionaries fought back against the monsters.

I can't fight him alone. Nobody could. But all of us at once? Centurions to either side of me had steadied themselves. Reyna was at the ready in the skies, hovering several feet above Krios. He still had a cocky smile plastered on his face, but I could see his eyes darting to observe each threat.

Nobody moved. The uproar of battle became monotonous. Everything faded away. Then I charged into battle.

There was no elegance, no grace in the fight that followed. I thrusted, slice, and cut away at him, always finding empty air or midnight armour. I attacked with his back turned, when my friends fought for their lives, while my comrades took devastating blows that were meant for me. But it meant nothing to him. Only Reyna was making any real progress with Scipio's help. The pegasus twisted and turned in the air, allowing her to attack from unexpected angles.

We went on the offensive. I charged in with all five centurions while Reyna waited in the wings. Krios knew what was coming, but he was forced to respond to us, giving Reyna the chance to dart in and go for his face. His armour shifted to Draco – but it was too late. Reyna went for a wide slash and cut his forehead.

Golden ichor poured out from his wound as he roared in pain. Krios was no longer laughing, but his shouts were more furious and less pained. He set his sights on Reyna, all thought of commanding his army gone and replaced with an animal thirst for revenge. The constellation on his breastplate shifted. Pegasus, the Winged Horse.

Krios grew wings.

Two spectral wings materialized on his back. They burned black, extensions of his midnight armour, spilling into existence and trailing inky shadows as he unfurled them and took flight. I could only watch as he and Reyna duelled in the skies.

I was ashamed to admit it, but I was relieved. A momentary break let me gather my thoughts. I tried to ignore the fact that our army was losing, that Octavian's makeshift battle lines were crumbling, and the centurions screaming in my ear to snap out of it. None of it matters unless we kill Krios.

He wasn't a good fighter. The Titan fought with skill borne from thousands of years of experience, it was true, but he had little technique. He reminded me of Vanessa: strong, tough, surprisingly fast, and not much else. But it didn't matter. His armour was the problem. Magic was the equalizer in this fight. So, how can I beat it?

The answer was simple, really. It was right in front of me. More specifically, it was all around me.

I armoured myself with water. It soaked through my shirt and layered my skin. Where once it was a reservoir of power I could tap into, now it became an extension of my body. The liquid exoskeleton reached down my arm to cover my blade as well. I could control it with my mind as easily as with my hand.

It still won't be enough. But I think I figured out how to make it count.

"Reyna!" I screamed, waving my sword. She was much too far away, the battle much too loud to let my voice carry my words to her. Fine. Plan B.

_Scipio! _I called out.

_A little busy here! _He all but shouted in my head. I felt his emotions brush mine. The thrill of combat filled me once more, and this time, I let it consume me. I had to remove any rational thought to do what I planned. Common sense might make me hesitate and hesitation would kill me.

_Bring him to me, _I told him.

_Are you insane? He kicked your ass, he's kicking Reyna's ass, and he kicked both of your asses at the same time! You have a death wish?_

_Just trust me,_ I pleaded.

_Not a chance. _

_Then at least let Reyna see me. She'll understand._

_Do you think she trusts you that much?_

_I do._

_Fine. It's your funeral. _

Scipio took a sharp, risky turn that nearly threw Reyna off. But he did as he said. For a split second, Reyna's eyes met mine. I lifted my gladius and pointed it at her. Not at Krios. Not at his army. Her.

Somehow, she understood.

Reyna turned away from Krios. She directed Scipio to divebomb straight to the ground with the Titan hot on her heels. Straight at me. She charged closer and closer, much faster than I expected. It was almost too fast. But I trusted her.

At the last second, she turned away. Scipio ascended nearly as fast as he dove, leaving me face to face with Krios. I took in every detail of his face, his eyes suddenly elated at the sight of my suicidal attack. Just as planned.

I stood my ground and slashed. I ignored the joints in his armour, his exposed flesh. That isn't what would hurt him the most. Instead, I went straight for the glowing constellation on his breastplate.

I understood why none of us could beat him. Whenever I tried, I was always forced back to avoid his counterattack. It was the fear of getting hit that stopped me, not his skill. Now, it was different. Now, I embraced death.

I was dimly aware of my screaming voice. I lunged forward and pushed with the water at the same time, moving me even faster. I slashed my blade with both hands, empowered and accelerated with its sheath of water. I watched the Titan's javelin come closer and closer to my face and didn't back down. I faced Krios head on and cut open his armour.

There was a loud snap and I was hurled backwards. The world was spinning and flashing black and white as I tumbled into the ground, barely conscious, arm numb. All my water was gone, and with it my strength. But I did it.

From my prone position I forced my head up. Krios was still flying, but his wings were starting to fade, getting smaller by the second. A small crack no bigger than a toothpick scarred his armour. But it was enough. The constellation on his chest was broken. It still glowed, but the hypnotizing magic had been disrupted.

"What did you do?" Krios stared at me, bewildered.

I lurched to my feet. My head was throbbing, and blood poured from a cut to cover my left eye, swollen shut. My lungs struggled to work with bruised ribs. The arm I had healed less than an hour ago was broken again. I could feel it hanging loose in its socket. But even through all that pain, the look on his face was so damn satisfying that I couldn't help but smile.

"You lose," I croaked.

He screamed and dove at me as his wings began to fade. Reyna intercepted him. She was like a Valkyrie, her strength and courage renewed as her opponent dwindled. Krios fought even harder than he did before, but without his armour, he was no more threatening than a Cyclops. Reyna and Scipio danced around the floundering Titan, twisting in the air and raking him with a thousand cuts. Each time Reyna swung her sword, golden ichor was spilled.

Krios landed on his feet and the surviving centurions pounced on him. He had no choice but to go on the defensive, and for the first time, I saw something like fear in his eyes. Terminus might be right. All that Imperial gold might do the trick.

Desperate, cornered, he looked for his army and found only rabble. I followed his gaze and was just as surprised. Octavian's men went above and beyond their duty. They held the line and bought enough time for a counterattack. I watched as a fleet of chariots rampaged through the enemy formations. I recognized the Invictus leading the charge. It was hard to tell, but I think Jules was on the reins.

At last, the inevitable happened.

"Retreat!" Krios roared. "Fall back! Retreat!" Monsters scrambled out of his way, creating a path for their master. But even as the legion cheered over their victory, what I saw disturbed me. Instead of running away in a disorganized mess, the monsters around Krios formed lines and gave their lives to cover the retreat. They fought with bravery and discipline to the bitter end. I don't want to think about what they would do to the city if Romulus hadn't helped us.

"Hunt them down!" Jules commanded. He was resplendent in the Invictus. There, for just that moment when his wheelchair was hidden and his body glowed red with the blessing of Mars, he looked like a praetor should.

Legionaries surged forward to follow his orders. The monsters were killed even as they ran for the Caldecott Tunnel. But the sounds of slaughter couldn't mask Krios's words piercing the air as he retreated, dragged back by a team of Cyclopes.

"You animals!" he screamed. "I'll kill you all! It was the gods that started the war, not us! They were the ones who cast down their own father! You humans took everything from us!" He frothed at the mouth with golden ichor.

"I'll remember you, son of Neptune! Daughter of Bellona! I'll look for you when we destroy Olympus. We'll meet again!"

"Yeah? You and what army?" I shouted back.

The battle of Camp Jupiter ended with the hysterical laughter of the victors drowning out the cries of the defeated. It was the first battle of the war. It won't be the last.

Someone started to cheer, and everybody took it up. We shouted until our voices reached the heavens. We let the world know of our victory. Against an army of monsters and Titans, the 12th Legion did not break. We were stronger than ever.

Soon the wordless cheers took shape. A single word, the name of the saviour who had come to lead us in war. I brought her to the crowd. Octavian gave her the shield. We lifted her together, and the legion carried Reyna back to Camp Jupiter. She was finally home.


	12. Chapter 12

We burned our friends.

Tonight, Camp Jupiter was silent. The stone barracks and marble city were abandoned. The legion was assembled, armed and armoured in Imperial gold, but there was no marching, no excitement. We walked to Temple Hill.

Jules led the procession on Scipio. Behind him, Hannibal pulled the dead. They were wrapped in purple shrouds and fitted into a long carriage that hadn't been used in years. Now it was nearly full.

The five cohorts were an honour guard for Hannibal. Everybody knew their places, but nobody filled in the gaps where the fallen should be. Just this once they were left empty.

Temple Hill was aglow. Every torch and brazier burned with an amber light that illuminated the ghost town. It felt like walking into my own funeral. But those that would receive that honour were laid out by their friends on the enormous pile of wood in the centre of the hill. Each of them should have their own pyre, but there were just too many.

Nobody spoke as the deed was done. We stood still as Jules made his way to the front, torch in hand. Scipio halted before the pyre and Jules turned to address the legion.

"We won," he said. "Against all odds, we won. But our victory was paid for in blood. The blood of legionaries, heroes, veterans, and citizens we were meant to protect. We repelled the enemy at our gates only because our brave brothers and sisters gave their lives."

"We will not let it be in vain. We will exact revenge on the monsters who did this. And when we remember this day, we will remember not the lives we have lost, but the victory we have bought with them. Make it count."

He raised the torch. "Senatus Populusque Romanus," he whispered.

"Senatus Populusque Romanus," we echoed.

Jules lit the pyre. The stack of wood came alive, a burning maw that took away our friends and family. The shrouds were soon enveloped with flame and crumbled where they lay.

I knew that most of us hated the gods. Some legionaries even doubted if they even existed. But when we saw our friends' faces, heard their laughter, felt their touch one last time in the drifting smoke, we knew that the gods had come to claim them in death.

After that was a victory feast. It may come off as a bit insensitive, but Jules was true to his words: we would celebrate our triumph instead of mourning our losses. Sometimes we would call out for friends who were no longer there, but we knew that they wouldn't want us to dwell. So, we didn't.

I felt immeasurably blessed to not only have all my friends seated at our usual table but have a new one. Reyna was crowned with a laurel wreath that we insisted she kept on despite her protests.

"I should take it off," Reyna complained.

"Why? You deserve it!" I said. The gold and bronze leaves were a striking contrast against her tan skin and dark hair. She looked distractingly good even with a bandage wrapping her head.

"Yeah, and we have to remind everyone that the Fifth did all the heavy lifting," Alex added. "You hear that, boys? We did all the work!"

"Alex, shut up," Reyna said with a grin.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure everyone knows already," Vanessa muttered.

"Everyone fought well today," Felix said. "Even the archers. Raining down hellfire the whole time. And they were surprisingly good medics too."

"It's hard to miss when everything's a target," Octavian argued.

They went on like this for a while and each of them had a point. Between Vanessa, Alex, and Felix, we learned what went down in every part of the battle. Jules had ordered the legion to split into three blocks and hold them in the river, where they would be easy targets for the ballistae and scorpions. Everyone did their duties well, but they'd underestimated the enemy. Jules prepared for a fight against a horde of monsters, not an organized army.

Right off the bat, Krios and a team of armoured Cyclopes worked as shock troops, getting a foothold almost instantly. That was where we suffered the most losses. The war of attrition that followed was much more chaotic: demigods and monsters were fighting their own little skirmishes without either side making any real progress. Krios was the only way they could win.

Luckily, we arrived just in time to beat him. But even after the victory, some of the senior legionaries worried that we would have lost if his army was more disciplined.

Whatever. That was a discussion for another day. Now it was time to celebrate.

The gaps left from absent friends were filled with newfound comrades. The centurions took the initiative to hop from table to table, making sure that everything was appropriately riotous. New battle-forged bonds were formed between legionaries. The five cohorts began to intermingle.

Laughter filled the air. Demigods gorged themselves on the banquet that the aurae gave us, some using Imperial gold knives. Mountains of roast beef, pies, sushi, tacos, and a bunch of other exotic or weirdly specific food piled the tables. I helped myself to my blue meal and indulged by taking bits and pieces from other tables.

Legionaries patted me on the back wherever I went, calling out compliments and sharing jokes. I've never felt that before. It was nice.

I saw Dakota chugging Kool-Aid dribbling down the side of his mouth. Jules was laughing at something that a senator said. Veterans, seniors, recruits, engineers, archers, spearmen, even the Lares were joining in the fun, poking their heads through the tables and terrifying new members of the legion. Even Terminus joined in the fun. He was still a bit surly for having spent most of the battle protecting the city from projectiles, but you won't be able to tell that from the way he was laughing.

But I always came back to my friends.

After a while, Alex yawned, opening her mouth wide and stretching her arms.

"It's been great guys, but I think I ate my way into a food coma. If anyone needs me, I'll be in my bed."

That was the signal. Everyone else at the table came up with increasingly more ridiculous excuses to leave the table, leaving me to distract Reyna.

"You know, I've always meant to ask," I said. "What do you think of the legion?"

Reyna downed her glass of orange juice before answering. "I think we're well prepared, all things considered. Of course, there is still room for improvement, especially when it comes to maintaining formation, but – "

"No, no," I said, waving my hand. "I meant about the legionaries. About the people. What do you think? These idiots are your family now."

"Oh. Well. Everybody is nice enough, I suppose. I barely know anyone other than you and Octavian, but…" Reyna trailed off when I rolled my eyes. "They're idiots. But they're my idiots. And I guess that's what all families are."

"That's what I wanted to hear," I grinned. She almost managed a smile before it wavered.

"You've been asking me so many questions. It's… nice. To have someone care. But I think it's my turn now. I've never asked – what do you think of me?"

"I think you're a good person. You're cold and mean and scary, but I think that's just a front or a defence mechanism, so you don't get too close to anyone. It takes a long time and a lot of effort to break through, but underneath all that, you're warm and compassionate and loyal. Still tough – but in the right way. You're also stubborn as hell and kind of cocky, but so is everyone in the legion," I blabbered.

I didn't realize what I was saying until the words left my mouth. I looked away from Reyna, hoping that she didn't see my expression.

When she didn't say anything, I had to look back and make sure she hadn't passed out from all the cringy stuff I blurted out. Where did that even come from? But to my surprise, she was smiling.

"Thank you, Percy," she said, her voice cracking a little. "That means a lot."

"You're, uh, welcome," I mumbled.

"I think you're an idiot too. But maybe not as dumb as I thought you were."

"Thanks," I said.

"Now will you tell me what the other idiots were planning?"

"You saw that?"

"Hard not to. What's going on?"

"You'll see," I grinned. "Come on. Oh, and close your eyes."

I took her by the hand and led her back to the barracks after spinning her around to throw her off. It was hard to resist making her bump into walls, and after a few times of doing just that, we arrived at our room.

As planned, the door was wide open. I could see the others already inside, holding fistfuls of whipped cream and stifling giggles.

"Stop," I said. Reyna stopped while I took a little cream from everyone.

"Now stand perfectly still and don't open your eyes until I tell you. On the count of three: one. Two. Three!"

Reyna opened her eyes as we all shoved the cream into her face. Her scream was muffled as she staggered back, spitting curses while the rest of us howled with laughter.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded. It was hard to take her anger seriously. She looked like a melting snowman.

"Welcome to the Fifth!" I yelled.

Reyna wiped her eyes and saw the room for the first time. Purple and gold balloons floated from our bunks, framing the long string that held the words 'Welcome Home Reyna' in big block letters. Octavian and Alex blew into shrill noisemakers as they waved sparklers while Felix and Vanessa shot silly string and threw confetti everywhere. They were all wearing party hats. I took a couple from our table, placing one on top of my head and tying the other on Reyna, who had forgotten her anger.

"What is this?"

"It's a welcome party," Vanessa said. "This is your home now. And since you're going to be praetor, it might also be the last time we can do this to you, so we figured that we shouldn't let this opportunity go."

"This is going to be a bitch to clean up," Octavian groaned.

"That's a problem for later," Alex chided him. "Enjoy yourself! Have fun! Eat food!"

She waved towards the pile of food on the table waiting to be devoured. It was a messy assortment of nachos, tacos, and quesadillas, ugly and clumsily made.

"No offense, but we don't really know what Puerto Ricans eat, so we went with 'vaguely Spanish'," Felix said with a bashful smile.

"And we made it ourselves!" I declared. "As soon as the battle was over and we all got patched up, I got the gang together to make it all."

Reyna stood there, catatonic. Her eyes moved to each of us in turn but couldn't dignify a response. Instead, her eyes watered and she held out her arms. We all went into the hug.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you."

We spent the rest of the evening in our private party. Reyna was the heart and soul of everything, glowing and bubbly as she laughed at our terrible jokes, promising to teach us how to make real food.

It took most of the night, but after a lot of convincing Reyna finally caved in and repeated the story of how she came into camp. She told us everything: her father, her sister, her time with Circe, her journey to Camp Jupiter alone. We were captivated.

"Who were they?" Alex asked once she was finished.

"What're you talking about?" Reyna frowned.

"The two idiots who ruined Circe's spa. What are their names?"

"Alex, planning a double murder isn't healthy," Vanessa said.

"Are you kidding me? I'll thank them. If they hadn't gone there, then Reyna might still be a makeup artist or something. Can you imagine if she didn't come to camp?"

"That's a good point," I said. "I can't believe I never asked. Do you still remember them?"

"I'll never forget," Reyna said. "Two blondes, both the same age as me. They wore matching orange t-shirts."

Reyna took a deep breath before answering. "Annabeth Chase and Jason Grace. The two demigods who turned my life upside down."

"Terrible names," I said instantly.

"Matching clothes, rhyming names," Alex said, shaking her head in disgust. "I hate them already."

"But you're here because of them," Felix reminded everyone.

"I never thought of it that way," Reyna said. "I don't think I'll ever meet them again. But if I do, I'll have to thank them too."

"What were they doing in that island to begin with?" Octavian wondered. "Two random, powerful demigods just happened to wash up to your shores?"

"Stranger things have happened, especially in the Sea of Monsters."

"What're the odds of us ever meeting, though?" I said.

"We live in a world with gods and monsters. I think it can happen," Reyna shrugged.

The argument continued for a while. It felt unlikely, but anything is possible now. More importantly, Reyna heard our words. She was beaming the whole time.

Then Octavian sidled up beside me.

"Percy, can we talk?" he whispered.

"Sure. What's this about?"

"Later. Meet me near the Caldecott Tunnel after everyone's asleep."

"What? But – "

"So anyway, what did they look like?" Octavian said loudly.

He pretended that nothing happened, though I couldn't. What did he want to talk about? Reyna? Jules? The legion? Romulus? It was a decisive victory for us. The cache of Imperial gold weapons will arm every cohort for generations.

It nagged at my mind for the rest of the party up until we turned in for the night. I kept glancing at Octavian to make sure that I hadn't imagined it all. He didn't give anything away. After what felt like years of tossing and turning, I fell asleep.

I dreamed of nothing. Then from out of the darkness I felt a beating heart shrouded in a roiling miasma of hatred and pain. No. It wasn't empty space – it was water. An inky expanse of nothingness that shut me out. And whatever it hid, it was waking.

My eyes fluttered open. I rose from my bed, back sticky with sweat. My first instinct was to look for Octavian, but he wasn't in his bunk. Then I remembered his words at the party. Did that really happen hours ago?

I hopped off my bed and got dressed. The others were sleeping sound, and under the cover of Felix's snoring, I doubt anybody heard me. Once I was ready, I slipped outside the door and into the night.

Octavian was waiting for me in a familiar spot by the Tiber. The battle had scorched the land, leaving piles of ash and soot that not even the wind and tide could wash away. They stayed like unwanted memories.

I crossed the river without the bridge and dried myself instantly. Octavian was standing with his hands in his pockets, gazing out into camp, yet he didn't react to my approach until I was beside him.

"It's been a day, hasn't it?" he said.

"Yeah. Hard to believe that we fought Lycaon and Krios on the same day and still had time to party at night," I grinned.

"And the funeral."

My smile faltered. "And the funeral," I agreed. "But we shouldn't dwell on that. It's better to move forward, like Jules said. Better to celebrate what we have than to regret what we'd lost, right?"

"Right."

We stood in silence for a solid minute before Octavian continued.

"Do you remember this place?" he asked softly.

"This is almost exactly the same place where I killed the Minotaur," I replied. "More importantly, it's also where I first met you."

"Not 'almost'. You're standing exactly where you landed on that day, so long ago. I'm standing where I was when I saw you control the Tiber and fly through the air."

"Really?" I looked at the ground beneath my feet. It looked like everything else to me. There were no distinguishing features, no signpost commemorating my achievement. It really didn't matter to me. I meant what I said. Meeting Octavian was the bigger achievement.

"Do you remember what I said to you?"

"You… told me that you were going to sponsor me. That you'll show me around. And then you introduced me to the guys, and the rest was history."

"Then we agreed to win the tournament," Octavian mused. "We built the Invictus, sabotaged the other chariots, got sponsored by my parents. Do you remember?"

"I do," I said slowly, sensing a pattern but not quite seeing it. "Where are you going with this?"

"Do you remember our promise that day?" Octavian continued.

"We promised to be praetors," I said quietly. "That we'll lead the camp and the city into the future together. That we'll change everything about this place. Make it what it could be."

"Do you still intend to honour that promise?" Octavian whispered.

"Of course. You do too, right?"

"Of course," he said softly.

"But you were the one who put Reyna on the shield."

"I want us to be praetors because we were the best candidates, and she's better than both of us. She deserves it. And you put her there as much as I did when you let her ride Scipio. It was her arrival that started to turn the battle, not ours."

"That's true," I conceded. "Are you worried I'd disagree? You know what I think about her."

"I do."

"Then what're we talking about here?" I said with a nervous laugh.

"I'm transferring to the First Cohort."

"What?"

Octavian took a deep breath. "They have the best track record for producing praetors. For nearly fifty years, almost every praetor we've had has come from the First."

"Until Reyna," I corrected. "She's Fifth Cohort and the entire legion joined us when we lifted that shield."

"Until someone extraordinary comes along and proves herself in a crucial battle," Octavian corrected harshly. "Not something I can do."

"What are you talking about? Octavian, you – "

"I'm not a fighter," he said. "I've never been. I've tried for years, but it just wasn't meant to be. We met Attius and Romulus. Both times, they only mentioned my augury. Not loyalty, not courage, not bravery. Just a curse and a manipulative streak."

"That's not true," I said immediately. "Even if it was – so what? That's not a bad thing."

"It's not," Octavian agreed. "I can't believe it's taken me so long to realize that, but it's really not. I've always been that way. I've always been a liar. It's what I'm good at. That's why nobody ever cared for me. Not my parents, or Alex, or Felix, or Vanessa, or Reyna. They only ever cared about the person they wanted me to be, not who I really am. But I'm done playing with swords. I'm tired of pretending to be someone I'm not. I'm going to be a praetor, Percy, and I'm doing it my way."

"Why do you have to go to the First Cohort?" I pleaded. "You don't need to leave us."

"There are two ways to be praetor: getting raised on a shield in the field of battle or election in the Feast of Fortuna. I'll never distinguish myself in a fight. But an election? The First Cohort has power and influence over the city and the senate. That's how I'll do it."

"Why does it matter so much?" I stuttered. "There's nothing wrong if you're not praetor. You'll be the augur! You'll have power that a praetor can never have."

"Then are you willing to step down?" Octavian turned to me sharply. I met those cold blue eyes and wavered.

"No."

"Exactly. One of us is going to have to break our promise."

I let out a shaky breath. "Then may the best man win."

"You don't get it, do you, Percy?" Octavian said with an expressionless face. "That's now how I do things. I'll use every weakness you have, every word you ever said, every secret you ever told me against you. I'll lie, cheat, and steal my way to be praetor."

I didn't want to believe it. But I knew in my heart that it was true, the way I knew that I'd been lying to myself the whole time. Octavian had always been a conniving manipulator who'd do anything to get his way. I told myself otherwise, or that he'd change for the better. He always told me that he hated the way people treated him, but I could never bring myself to deny that they were justified.

But was it? People thought him a liar, so that's all he'll ever be to them. Romulus warned me not to become what the legion made me. But Octavian had been shaped by them from birth. The instant he showed his nature, everybody assumed that it's just the way he was. Nobody tried to help him, and their prejudice was made manifest.

The legion failed to nurture him, but it was his own nature that twisted him.

"Then why are you telling me this?" I asked.

"Because you're my friend." I turned to Octavian and was shocked to see tears welling in his eyes.

"You were the only one, Percy. The only one. You believed I could be myself and still be good. You trusted me unconditionally. You're the best friend I've ever had. My only friend. I just wanted to thank you for believing in me when I couldn't believe in myself."

"You were never just a friend to me," I whispered, my voice breaking. "You were the brother I always needed. Family, Octavian. You still are. And you always will be."

I hugged him, and we tried to pretend that the other wasn't crying.

No more words were spoken. No more words were needed.

Octavian proved to be the stronger of us and broke away first, turning on his heel and walking back to camp without looking back. I watched my friend leave my sight and my life.

He moved out the next day. For years to come, whenever I doubted myself, I would remember that night. No fight then or since had ever made me feel as numb as the night when I lost my friend.

I found myself thinking of two other brothers who parted ways in the banks of the Tiber. Twins. One became a legend. One was murdered by his brother. One was left empty and broken, forever regretting the decision he made to follow his dream.

* * *

**_(A/N) And that's the end of book 2. Thank you all for reading my work! The story continues in book 3, Drowned, which is already up! _**

**_Thank you especially for everyone who left reviews. Your kind words keep me going. Please keep giving comments and suggestions, they're all helpful and appreciated. Tell me what you think about this story and the series so far!_**

**_See you in the next one. There's more to come. _**


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